D.C. bomb squad clears adult toy after Wisconsin Avenue response
A suspicious wired device outside a Tenleytown firehouse stopped traffic before bomb technicians found it was a non-hazardous adult device.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
The D.C. bomb squad adult toy incident that disrupted a Tenleytown commute ended without danger on Aug. 12, after police cleared a suspicious electronic item outside a firehouse as a non-hazardous adult device.
Local reports citing an MPD incident report say the object was identified as an “electronic sex portable pump device.” No injuries were reported.
What happened at the Tenleytown firehouse?
The call came Wednesday morning at D.C. Fire and EMS Engine 20 in the 4300 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW. WTOP, Fox 5 and WJLA reported that a person left a blue-and-black electronic device with exposed wires near or behind the building.
MPD’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, commonly called the bomb squad, and a K-9 unit responded. The item was cleared at the scene, and officials found nothing hazardous, according to WTOP and WJLA.
Reports vary slightly on where the item was first seen. WUSA9 said a person was seen putting a package in a trash can near the fire station, while Fox 5 and WJLA described the item as having been left behind the firehouse. The accounts agree that police treated it as a suspicious electronic device before determining it posed no hazard.
Which streets were affected?
The response landed during the morning rush. WUSA9 reported Wisconsin Avenue NW was shut between 40th Street and Warren Street for nearly two hours, while WJLA listed closures on the 4200 and 4300 blocks of Wisconsin Avenue and on 40th Street NW between Warren Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
WTOP reported that the scene was cleared around 9 a.m. Traffic restrictions were lifted after technicians completed their work.
What did the police report call the device?
The MPD incident report used the term “electronic sex portable pump device,” according to WTOP’s account of the response and reports by WUSA9, Fox 5 and WJLA. That official description is the basis for local outlets characterizing the item as an adult toy.
The episode brought a temporary closure and a full precautionary response, but no reported injuries and no hazardous device.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.