NEW BRUNSWICK -- A suspicious package found in a Rutgers parking deck Monday morning is not a threat, officials said.

"The Rutgers University Police Department has determined that the package discovered in the Douglass Parking Deck is safe," Rutgers spokesman EJ Miranda said shortly after 10 a.m. Monday.

"All facilities in the area are open and operating normally."

Miranda did not yet have information on what exactly the item was, other than saying it was an "unattended package."

A swarm of police and emergency vehicles had gathered Monday morning behind the student center at the university's Douglass campus. Video taken by eyewitnesses showed a police robot inspecting a white car inside the Douglass Parking Deck.

Brian Connallon, a member of the facilities staff at Rutgers, told NJ Advance Media that he and his coworkers were doing landscaping near the parking deck on Saturday when they found an empty crock pot left in the parking deck.



He said they checked out the device, decided it was harmless and moved it to another location out of the way on the parking deck.



"I guess somebody walked by and (saw) something suspicious sitting there," Connallon said. He said police examined the crockpot and disposed of it.

A post on the university's Twitter account earlier Monday had advised students and visitors to avoid the parking deck and surrounding area.

Miranda said around 9 a.m. that authorities were "working to determine whether the package presents a danger."

The investigation comes after a weekend of explosions in and around New Jersey.

On Saturday morning, a garbage can exploded along a Marine Corps charity 5K route in Seaside Park. No one was injured in the blast, but authorities have said that multiple explosive devices were wired together and placed in the can, though only one detonated.

Saturday night, a bombing in the Chelsea section of Manhattan injured 29 people. Five people have been detained, and authorities say they are searching for suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, of Elizabeth, in connection with that explosion.

Sunday, a backpack with explosives in it was found near an Elizabeth train station. One detonated as authorities were using a bomb robot to examine it, officials said. No one was injured in the incident.

The blasts have caused mass transit delays throughout New Jersey and New York.

NJ Advance Media reporter Alex Napoliello contributed to this story.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.