A bomb threat targeting the brother of Pope Leo XIV was reported on Wednesday night, according to New Lenox police.
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Authorities responded to the call at approximately 6:29 p.m., which involved the residence of John Prevost.
“As a precautionary measure, nearby residents were notified and asked to evacuate their homes,” the police stated.
The investigation revealed no explosives at the scene, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.
“The investigation is ongoing as authorities seek to trace the source of the threat. It is essential to note that making false reports of this nature is a serious offense and could lead to criminal charges,” police emphasized.
Police are appealing to the public for any information that could assist in their investigation.
ABC7 Chicago spoke with Prevost shortly after the Chicago-born pope was elected.
He did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
The bomb threat comes amid some back-and-forth between the pope and President Donald Trump.
Cardinal Blase Cupich commented Thursday on the exchanges between the pontiff and the president.
New Lenox officials said the threat was brief, and police remain vigilant.
Officers remain stationed in the area just to keep an eye on the neighborhood.
The threat was emailed to New Lenox police and the Will County Sheriff’s Office.
“We worked with the Will County bomb unit, and they had their dogs out there. And they did a great job of searching the area inside and then and out. We did it all,” Mayor Tim Baldermann said. “It was certainly a direct threat to the resident that was living there. There were some tones in that that might have been perceived as political in nature.”
Neighbors witnessed the disturbance Wednesday night.
“And I see a cop car right there. He’s pointing, with traffic cones. And I looked out my window, and then down there they were, like, also blocked off that area,” Patrick Mayhugh said.
Gov. JB Pritzker called the threat disheartening.
“The idea of political violence, we all should be standing up against that sort of thing and making sure that we’re keeping people safe. But also the rhetoric, the level of rhetoric needs to come down,” Pritzker said.
The FBI is now assisting local police in trying to track down the source of the threat.
“When you’re certainly not involved in it yourself, to be subjected to this type of criminal behavior, it’s really incredibly disappointing and just a sad state of affairs,” Baldermann said.
If authorities can determine who sent in the threat, that person could face local and federal charges.
For now, the neighborhood hopes things settle down.
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