Security Stepped Up Across New York City For Christmas
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There was intense security outside St. Patrick's Cathedral for Midnight Mass and other Christmas celebrations Monday morning.
Heavily armed NYPD officers were visible on the street.
Crowds flooded the sidewalks. Some parishioners found they were unable to find a seat inside.
"I walked in and walked straight out because there was nowhere to stand," said one woman.
Along with security at the Cathedral, there are truck restrictions in place on both Fifth and Madison Avenues from 42nd Street up to 57th Street.
Inside St. Patrick's Cathedral, there were several armed officers, along with bomb sniffing dogs both inside and outside.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was also deploying State Police and National Guard to subways, bridges and tunnels.
"We have radiation detection equipment, we have canines that are trained to detect chemicals, we obviously a number of police officials and National Guard on site," he said. The extra measures were not in response to any specific threat but rather out of an abundance of caution.
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