A church in La Grange was evacuated Thursday night after a suspicious bag—later determined only to contain dirty laundry—was found under the altar, authorities said.
Police received a report of a suspicious person and package at St. Cletus Church in the 600 block of W. 55th Street about 3:15 p.m. Officers learned an unknown white male entered the church with a duffle bag before leaving it under the altar, police said. He was approached by a custodian while leaving and “offered only a peculiar reply when questioned about what he was doing,” police said.
When police found the bag, they evacuated the church and established a perimeter. The Cook County Department of Homeland Security and the Cook County Bomb Squad also responded to the scene.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and they are attempting to locate the man who left the bag in the church.
Anne Maselli, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Archdiocese, said the custodian who found the bag notified police out of an “abundance of caution.”
“There was an unattended bag that was found in the church and so they called authorities who have investigated and there was nothing suspicious or harmful in it,” she said.
The bag was full of dirty laundry, she said.
