Bomb squad responds after evacuation of Schuylkill County Courthouse
Reports: Scare caused by can of applesauce in parking lot
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Schuylkill County Administrator Gary Bender, left, and Commissioners Chairman Larry Padora prepare for a press conference after a bomb squad was called to the courthouse on June 10, 2025.
POTTSVILLE – A State Police explosives team was called to the Schuylkill County Courthouse Tuesday morning after a suspicious item prompted the evacuation of the complex.
County Commissioners Chairman Larry Padora said the evacuation happened just before 11am.
“Everybody got out safely, everybody followed the proper protocol and procedure and the State Police bomb squad did everything they were supposed to do,” Padora said in an afternoon press conference.
Several roads around the courthouse were closed, including Sanderson Street and Second Street. Pottsville Bureau of Fire apparatus staged around the courthouse as well.
“You have to take every threat seriously because all it takes is one time for something to go wrong,” Padora said.
The Schuylkill County Office of Emergency Management said in a media release that the State Police bomb squad “stabilized the situation” and K-9 teams had cleared the courthouse and perimeter.
Padora said the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was also on site.
He emphasized that the incident was not a “bomb threat.”
“Somebody saw something and they reported it and it was dealt with accordingly,” Padora said, describing the item as “a type of can.”
That was found in the parking area near the stairway to Sanderson Street.
Padora said about 200 to 300 people were evacuated.
Three trials were underway and interrupted. Padora said those would continue.
The courthouse will be open as normal on Wednesday.
Coal Region Canary reported Tuesday that the item in question was a can of applesauce that a passerby reported was smoking.
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