A bomb threat called into the JCC of San Francisco the morning of May 3 shut down the center for approximately two hours, as police evacuated the building, taped off a block of California Street and conducted a sweep of the surrounding area.

The threat was made by telephone at 8:26 a.m. and officers responded to the scene to evacuate and tape off the area, according to San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Officer Albie Esparza. Several hundred people were evacuated, according to the Bay City News service.

After a preliminary search showed no threat at the building, located at 3200 California St., a K-9 unit was brought in for a secondary sweep. Nothing suspicious was found on site, and people were allowed back into the building at approximately 10:30 a.m. The SFPD was continuing to investigate the phoned-in threat, said Esparza.

“It’s always disconcerting to get any hostile call, and we take them really seriously,” said Nathaniel Bergson-Michelson, director of marketing for the JCCSF. “But it was reassuring to see that our staff and members and guests responded to it with good spirit and understanding of the need to put safety first … and we’re pleased that the SFPD felt we had followed all the appropriate procedures. We always want to act with an abundance of caution when it comes to security.”

Bergson-Michelson said the JCC is operating on normal hours, and welcomes new visitors as usual for lectures, classes and fitness.