Bomb threat evacuates Islip Town hall

Islip Town hall was evacuated Thursday morning after officials said someone called in a false bomb threat from a Central Islip pay phone.

At about 10:50 a.m., a person called 911 and made the threat, which was first processed by county officials.

“‘There is a bomb and it’s in Islip Town hall’ — that was the gist of what was said, I’m told,” said Larry O’Leary, Islip commissioner of public safety enforcement.

O’Leary, who was helped by Suffolk County police officers and Islip park rangers, quickly made the decision to evacuate Town Hall. In the meantime, officials searched the building from top to bottom, looking into closets, bathrooms and other areas that the public can access, he said.

It took about 20 minutes to evacuate the building and 15 minutes to search it, O’Leary said. In the end, all was clear. By 11:30 a.m., people were allowed back into Town Hall.

Meanwhile, O’Leary said officials were pleased with the evacuation process and erred on the side of caution.

“You never know when a call is generated like this,” he said. “In the last 10 years, we’ve learned anything can happen.”

Suffolk County police’s Third Squad detectives are continuing to investigate the incident, a police spokesman said.