An evening at a Boston hotel bar turned into a scene of commotion when a bomb threat was falsely made by a Florida man, leading to his arrest. The Boston Police Department reported that officers were dispatched to the Liberty Hotel on Charles Street, following a tip from a vigilant witness who overheard the disturbing claim.
According to the official Boston Police Department website, it was approximately 8:11 PM on May 29, when the suspect, later identified as 62-year-old Mark DiPaolo of Naples, Florida, expressed to have a bomb in his suitcase. This alarming statement was made after an unsuspecting patron attempted to just spark a conversation about DiPaolo's dog. The unnerved patron acted quickly to alert the hotel staff of the threat.
The prompt response of the officers onsite led them to gather multiple witness accounts to confirm the suspect's description. They learned DiPaolo had been seen with a large brown suitcase minutes before they arrived, possibly while checking into his room.
In coordination with Liberty Hotel personnel, the police managed to trace the suspect's location to a specific room. Upon entering, they were quick to positively identify and apprehend DiPaolo. Despite the man's alarming claim, subsequent searches proved that there were no explosive devices or dangerous items present in the hotel room. "After the suspect was in-custody, members of the Boston Police cleared the hotel room with negative findings for explosive devices or anything dangerous, confirming the suspect’s claims to be false," as noted in the police report.
DiPaolo is charged with making a threat about dangerous items or a hijacking. Thanks to a quick-thinking witness and diligent police, a potentially dangerous situation was avoided, showing why it's important to report suspicious activity.
