Suspicious package at Siegel Jewish Community Center declared safe, non-hazardous

A suspicious package delivered to Siegel Jewish Community Center in Talleyville has been declared safe and non-hazardous, according to a New Castle County Police spokesman. 

The building has been cleared for re-entry, the center announced on Facebook about 2:40 p.m. 

It was evacuated and the intersections of Garden of Eden Road and Concord Pike, and Garden of Eden and Taunton roads shut down for almost three hours on Wednesday afternoon. 

Elena Kupchik, chief financial officer for the JCC and Jewish Federation of Delaware, said the package was addressed to an employee.

“We’re just trying to be careful and follow all the right protocols,” she said. 

The center received multiple bomb threats in January 2017. 

“We have tremendous support from our local police always and they’re very responsive," Kupchik said. 

She said the recent attack in Pittsburgh, when gunman Robert Bowers killed 11 people in an attack at a synagogue, was on their minds, but "the safety of this building is always on our minds just as it is with anyone with a center like ours.” 

At the time of day Wednesday when police responded to the threat, the center typically has its preschool and early childhood programs going on, Kupchik said. It also serves lunch for seniors and has a fitness center open. 

All those people had to be evacuated, along with office staff. 

"We did it within minutes," Kupchik said. 

She said police were searching the building and looking at the package and that she expected it would be a couple hours before they are allowed back in.

Information about this incident is developing and will be updated. 

Contact Adam Duvernay at (302) 319-1855 or aduvernay@delawareonline.com.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGES

Suspicious package closes Market St. in Wilmington

Two suspicious packages sent to Joe Biden latest in round sent to high-profile liberals