'Love' Note Prompted 30th Street Scare

A power supply, timer and wires attached to a towering "love" note had police, bomb experts and counter terrorism investigators racing to 30th Street Station at rush hour Monday morning.

A group of construction workers getting ready to demolish a huge smoke stack and the nearby power plant overlooking the rail yard spotted the power supply, timer and wires in a restricted area, Fox 29's Dave Schratwieser first reported Monday morning on "Good Day Philadelphia."

The workers immediately thought something was just not right. That's when they called police.

As trains rolled into one of the city's busiest transportation hubs, police, bomb and counter terrorism experts scrambled.

"That device involved a power source, a timer with a wire running away up the tower to another unknown destination," said Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan of Counter Terrorism Unit.

Bomb disposal experts quickly followed the wires up the soon-to-be-demolished smoke stack to a series of LED-type lights about midway up. The lights were fashioned into a sign that read, "I Love You Sonia."

Cute, the experts said, but not funny at all.

"With simply the atmosphere we live in today coupled with the World Series here in Philadelphia, the site of that device would alarm anyone," says Chief Inspector Sullivan.

The electronic message and somewhat elaborate triggering device were quickly dismantled by authorities, who are now very anxious to speak with the person who accessed the site and placed the sign and power supply in a potentially dangerous location next to the rail yard.

Police believe the message was placed here to get "Sonia's" attention at some Center City location or while she rides the train or nearby Schuylkill Expressway. Security questions remain about how the perpetrator of this emotional message managed to pull this off without detection.

Police would like to track down Sonia, hoping she might lead them to whoever did this. That person could face criminal trespass, reckless endangerment and a host of other charges. Police may admire this person's creativity , they don't appreciate his method of displaying his emotions.