Bomb Squad Called In To Handle Suspicious Out-Of-Season Elf On The Shelf

An out-of-season Christmas elf stopped traffic and triggered an evacuation as the bomb squad responded in Maryland on Wednesday.

Someone called in a suspicious package sitting atop a trash can at this Royal Farms convenience store and gas station in Bel Air:

That package turned out to be an Elf on the Shelf box, the state fire marshal said.

However, the robot determined that the elf himself was not present. 

“Bomb Squad robot was deployed to determine package contents,” the fire marshal’s office said in a statement. “The box contained empty packaging materials.”

It’s not clear why the Elf on the Shelf packaging was perceived as a threat or what led to the call. 

Only 206 days until Christmas.