Morning commuters faced delays and detours as an unexpected interruption hit the Valley Transportation Authority's Karina station today. A report of a suspicious package near Karina Court and North First Street brought the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office bomb squad to the scene, shutting down the station and prompting a shelter-in-place order for neighboring businesses. According to a social media update from the Santa Clara County Sheriff, the closure was a precaution in response to the suspicious device spotted near a bench at the light rail station.
RIGHT NOW: Suspicious package investigation near Karina Ct. & N. First St. in @CityofSanJose at @VTA Karina light rail station. The station is currently shut down. Please avoid the area until further notice. pic.twitter.com/uTcJfxBj3J
— SantaClaraCoSheriff (@SCCoSheriff) May 20, 2025
As the investigation unfolded, traffic on N. First St. between E. Brokaw Rd. & Charcot Ave. in San Jose was halted, causing significant congestion. In a subsequent update provided by the Sheriff's office via social media, it was decided to reopen both directions of N. First St., after initially closing it down, although the bomb squad remained on site. For those caught in the morning rush, the Sheriff's office advised avoiding the area due to heavy traffic.
Amid the uncertainty and public unease, the suspense was cut short as the suspicious object was determined harmless. According to the Sheriff's Office, the questionable container was a "concrete test cylinder" utilized by San Jose Public Works, as NBC Bay Area reported. A Valley Transportation Authority spokesperson relayed that the suspicious package incident had been ongoing for a few hours before concluding with the involvement of the bomb squad.
