New York State DEC Offices Closed Due To Bomb Threats

In what appears to be a coordinated effort against New York State officials with the Department of Environmental Conservation, a series of bomb threats have been called into DEC offices all over the Empire State.

There were confirmed threats made against the DEC offices in Buffalo, which is in Erie County; Bath, which is in Steuben County; New York City; and other offices all over the state as law enforcement officers from the New York State Police flocked to secure locations.

In Buffalo, bomb investigators and K9s searched the Allentown offices for the DEC and determined that no bombs were on site. However, these threats were serious enough that more than 3,000 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation employees were evacuated from buildings or told to work from home for at least the next two days.

None of the threats received to date have been legitimate, and there are no credible threats to DEC's offices or other state agency offices at this time. However, we recognize this ongoing situation is disruptive to our employees' work. For that reason, all DEC employees and other state employees collocated with DEC offices have the option to telecommute on Monday, November 4, and Tuesday, November 5. In addition, increased security measures are being implemented.
-Sean Mahar, Interim Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

These threats seem to be directly related to the firestorm that was created after DEC officers raided a Chemung County property, seized Peanut The Squirrel and Fred the Raccoon, and subsequently euthanized them. The two animals have a very large following on social media, and the owners have asserted that the raid and seizure happened without a warrant.

People all over the nation have been in an uproar since this incident occurred at the end of October 2024. As of Monday, November 5, 2024, officials from the NYSDEC have made no official comment about the incident, but the animal owners have.

This isn't the first time the DEC has caused a stir in the community. DEC officials seized a 750-pound pet alligator from a Western New York man earlier this year.

That animal, named Albert the Alligator, was removed from the Hamburg, New York home and moved to a Texas alligator rehab facility.