Suspected explosive removed from Las Cruces Savers

LAS CRUCES — A suspected explosive device was safely removed from a Savers thrift store Tuesday after workers discovered it among donated items, Las Cruces police said.

Police responded around noon as the store, located in a shopping plaza on N. Main Street, was evacuated and neighboring businesses were called on to shelter in place.

Members of the Doña Ana County Bomb Squad secured and removed the device and the store was swept by an explosive-detecting police dog before the business was declared safe for workers and shoppers. The all-clear was issued at approximately 1:40 p.m., Las Cruces police stated in a news release.

Business resumed at the store, where personnel declined to comment on the incident.

No injuries were reported.

In a social media post, LCPD said store employees discovered a suspicious device while going through items that had been donated earlier in the day. No description or analysis of the device was available. No suspect had been named, and the social media post reported that employees did not know who had made the donation.

The same store was the site of a fatal crash in 2024, when an SUV drove through a glass wall, killing one person and injuring 15 inside.

No further information was made available Tuesday afternoon.

Algernon D’Ammassa is the Journal’s southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.