Jay-Z’s club was a real blast — when cops blew up fake “bombs” planted outside the hip-hop star’s swanky 40/40 Club in the Flatiron District on Tuesday.
NYPD counterterrorism and bomb squad cops rushed to dismantle the would-be explosives at around 7 a.m. — only to discover the devices were just two slabs of wood wrapped in a chord as part of a strange hoax, police sources said.
Video footage reveals a baseball cap-clad man placing the faux-bombs — which were attached to a pipe and a flashing red light — in a phone booth near the entrance of the sports club at 3:06 a.m.
He then walked south on Broadway near 25th Street.
A caller later reported the suspicious scene, prompting cops to rope-off nearly a whole city block for hours, delaying early morning commuters.
A cop walks past the fake bomb that was found outside the club.G.N. MillerThe prank may be obnoxious — but the devices were harmless, police sources said.
The suspect, who wore a white hat and dark jeans, placed the slabs of wood diagonally across the payphone.
The prankster left no note explaining if he or she had meant to target Jay-Z’s club, which features an 18-foot-tall illuminated Champagne tower and five-foot-tall TVs.
NYPD Counterterrorism honcho John Miller was also on the scene along with detectives.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
