MANCHESTER, NH – Police have made an arrest following the report of a man outside a mental health clinic claiming to have a bomb.
On June 9, 2021, at approximately 10 a.m., Manchester Police responded to 401 Cypress Street for a report of a man outside the Cypress Center claiming to have a bomb.
Police located a man, later identified as Ernesto Mateo, 31, of Manchester, outside the clinic with a box. The man was agitated and yelling. Officers used de-escalation techniques to calm him down and were able to get him to move away from the box. He was taken into custody without further incident.
As a precaution, the Cypress Center and four additional homes were evacuated. The New Hampshire State Police Bomb Squad was called and responded to the scene.
The NHSP Bomb Squad disrupted the device and determined that there was no danger to the public.
Mateo was charged with placement of simulated explosives, a felony, and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. Mateo was held on preventative detention and taken to the Valley Street Jail.
Below: State Police bomb squad officer outside the Cypress Center after a report of a man claiming to have a bomb. Photos/Jeffrey Hastings
