Despite United States media reports that a threat originating from a Jamaican cellphone was responsible for the lockdown of a community in Millvale, Pennsylvania, local authorities said yesterday they were unaware of the incident.

Both the National Intelligence Bureau and the local offices of Interpol stated that no formal report had been received from their overseas counterparts.

According to a report on ThePittsburghChannel.com, a male with a Jamaican accent called the Millvale police, saying that he had just killed two persons and demanded an undetermined sum of money.

Subsequently, exit roads to Millvale Avenue were shut down for almost two hours as more than 10 area police agencies responded.

"It was a Jamaican cellphone number and the guy on the phone appears to be Jamaican," Chief Derek Miller, of the Millvale police, was quoted by the website.

An investigator at Jamaica's local Interpol office, who requested anonymity, told The Gleaner that the agency should have been informed if the incident occurred.

The investigator said, however, that Interpol would make further checks to determine the accuracy of the report.

While no one was injured, residents of Millvale were reportedly shaken up by the incident.

rasbert.turner@gleanerjm.com