Cops say item found on Riverhead school bus not a pipe bomb

A Riverhead school district bus driver reported finding what appeared to be a pipe bomb on an empty bus Monday afternoon, but the item was later determined not to be a bomb, police said.

The situation was reported at 2:10 p.m. Monday. Police said that while conducting a routine check to make sure the bus was empty, the driver, whose identity was not released, spotted the item on a seat in the bus.

Police said the area around the bus was secured and Suffolk County Emergency Service Unit and Arson and Bomb Squad officers responded.

The officers found "a solid metal rod with plastic end caps," but determined it "was not an explosive device."

The location where the incident unfolded was not immediately clear Tuesday. Police did not release the name of the bus company involved.

The incident is still under investigation, Riverhead Town police said Tuesday.