A friend sent me this email: the real story behind the Park Slope bomb scare on Monday.

I live on Union which was corded off for several hours because of the bomb scare — a cop said to me they had found multiple suitcases.  The kids (Cole and Timmy) were having a great time playing on the street.

The Moms  and neighbors hanging out on the stoops. —  joking that the suitcases belonged to the homeless man Mr. G  since he walked by with a suitcase similar to the one on the corner — well that was the case.

Cole’s grandmother helps out Mr. G from time to time and lets him store stuff in their basement.  He left a lot of suitcases there that had gotten moldy so Chloe, Cole’s Mom left him a note to get rid of them.  Well he must have  taken them and left them on the street. 

Several hours into the bomb scare Chloe was walking near President and recognized a lamp and suitcase that Mr. G had dumped. Sure enough when she and Timmy and Cole checked the basement many of the suitcases were gone.  She informed a policeman and soon the FBI, detectives and police  had surrounded her house to confirm the story. 

Meanwhile Mr. G had quietly been walking up and down Union during this whole charade. Timmy and Cole are proudly claiming they solved the story. Chloe and I opened a bottle of red wine.  This morning I passed Mr. G shuffling through the garbage collecting bottles.

Apparently he’s lived on Union over 10 years ago, and lost his job. Cole’s grandmother used him as a handyman and helps him out sometimes.  I wonder if he knows he paralyzed Park Slope for several hours.

NOTE: OTBKB changed the names in this story at my friend’s request.