Suspicious bundles showing up around campus

Imran Majid

The Sacramento State Police Department is investigating a series of incidents involving small, suspicious bundles showing up on and around campus over the past couple of months.        

The objects are wrapped in black tape and contain wires, broken pieces of electrical components and in one instance, medication.    

Police Chief Mark Iwasa said the hoax devices are “weird-looking,” and there is no suspect information or explanation of what the objects are.

The devices are not bombs and cannot be detonated, he said.

“We don’t want people to touch them,” Iwasa said. “Thus far, they’ve all been worthless devices, but in the future we don’t know.”

Detective Jason Johnston said he has been contacted by outside agencies, including SMUD and the FBI, who have found similar objects around Sacramento.

A total of five objects have been found on or near Sacramento State and are beginning to show up with some frequency, Iwasa said.

Sac State Facilities Services discovered two bundles with visible wires in September, just off the west side of campus near the train embankment. An investigation by the Sacramento City Police Bomb Squad found the objects to be harmless.

Another object was found in October near the west side of Eureka Hall.

Two additional reports were taken on Nov. 4. One was found on the west side of Benicia Hall while the other object was found by a Facilities Services employee underneath the seat of a riding lawn mower.

While the police is unsure about why it was found there, they believe the object was been there longer than a month, Johnston said.

Any information anyone may have regarding these bundles can contact the Sacramento State Police Department at (916) 278-6851 as soon as possible.