JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office closed nearly a mile of North Main Street east of Jacksonville International Airport for several hours Thursday due to an investigation of a suspicious van at an auto shop.
JSO Lt. Allen Eason said police responded about 3:15 p.m. to a suspicious van that was in the parking lot of Gerber Collision Center. Eason said the van was left by someone who went into the repair shop and then left the property without the van.
According to Eason, there were circumstances surrounding the van that caused concern and the bomb squad was called to investigate.
Sky4 aerials showed the bomb squad robot examining an older-model van, which police said was sealed, in the Gerber Collision Center parking lot.
During the investigation, North Main Street was closed from Eubanks Street to Drury Lane, between Airport Center and Max Leggett Parkway. Police said five neighboring businesses decided to voluntarily evacuate and 10 homes were evacuated.
Main Street reopened about 8:15 p.m. after police said they were able to find the owner of the vehicle and they said everything was safe.
News4Jax spoke with Kenneth Caldwell, who identified himself as the owner of the van, when he returned to the vehicle.
"I guess somebody said something. The cops came after I sealed off the thing and they bashed my window out," he said.
Caldwell said he’s been accused of having a bomb in his vehicle in the past, but said those allegations are false. He said he had been living out of his van and will now need to find a new place to stay.
“I’ve trained myself to survive in tough situations," Caldwell said. "I’ve been a lot of places, so I just wing it.”