Treasure-hunt transponder prompts evacuation of VTA station in Campbell

CAMPBELL — A geocache device used as part of a high-tech treasure-hunt game caused a scare Tuesday when it was reported to authorities as a suspicious package and prompted the evacuation of a light-rail station and surrounding buildings Tuesday morning.

Campbell police and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office posted messages on social media that just after 11 a.m., a suspicious package was spotted at the VTA station in Campbell, located on Winchester Boulevard.

Authorities evacuated the station, shut down surrounding streets and and ordered that nearby schools and businesses be cleared “out of an abundance of caution.” Winchester Boulevard between Budd Avenue and San Tomas Expressway was the major stretch of roadway that was deemed off-limits to motorists.

The sheriff’s office, which dispatched its bomb squad to evaluate the package, gave the all-clear with a post at 1:48 p.m. declaring that the item was a geocache container “used in a GPS-based treasure hunt game,” and that “it was not a threat.”

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