Cell phone ringing in mailbox causes evacuation in Columbus

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Authorities say a cell phone ringing inside a mailbox caused a downtown disruption in Ohio's largest city.

Columbus police and firefighters closed streets in the area and evacuated a nearby building Thursday morning after a person reported a suspicious noise coming from the mailbox.

A bomb squad X-rayed the box and then opened it with a key provided by a postal inspector.

Authorities say squad members discovered the ringing had come from a phone that was packed up and mailed by a sender who had not turned it off.

Streets were reopened and the evacuation ended.

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