Overview
- The New Lenox police response, which began Wednesday around 6:30 p.m., led to evacuations and a K-9 sweep that found no explosives or hazardous materials.
- Officers identified the address as the New Lenox home of John Prevost, an older brother of the pope, and called in the Will County Sheriff’s explosives dog for the search.
- Residents returned home after the scene was cleared, and police said the investigation to find the source of the report remains active.
- The department warned that making false bomb threats is a serious offense that could bring criminal charges as officials work to identify the caller and motive.
- Authorities have not tied the scare to the current Trump–Pope clash over Iran, though multiple outlets noted that context, and some reported federal involvement that has not been uniformly confirmed.