News

DEVELOPING: Suspicious package in office building shuts down road in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Published August 19, 2026 at 9:55AM | Updated August 19, 2026 at 11:09AM

Red Bomb Squad fire truck parked on city street with a group of people nearby and tall buildings in the background. — Bomb squad on scene of suspicious package investigation in Ballston (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

Group of police and emergency responders standing in a city street, discussing among parked vehicles and a fire truck nearby. — Suspicious package investigation in Ballston (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

City street scene with police SUVs and cars stopped in traffic; white sheriff SUV with blue lights in foreground. — Suspicious package investigation in Ballston (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

City intersection with crosswalk, tall office buildings, a gray pickup, a red emergency vehicle, and pedestrians nearby. 9th St N sign visible; urban street scene with traffic light. — Suspicious package investigation in Ballston (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

Firefighters chat on a city sidewalk with a fire engine and tall buildings in the background. — Suspicious package investigation in Ballston (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

Police cars with flashing lights block a City street; officers stand near a white Arlington, Virginia vehicle on a busy urban intersection. — N. Randolph Street in Ballston closed due to suspicious package (courtesy Emily D.)

Emergency response scene on a city street with a red Battalion Chief SUV and flashing lights in the foreground. — Suspicious package investigation in Ballston (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

Red fire truck with chrome bumper parked on a tree-lined city street, tall buildings in the background.", — Bomb squad on scene of suspicious package investigation in Ballston (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

A busy road in Ballston is blocked by emergency activity due to a reported suspicious package.

N. Randolph Street is closed between Wilson Blvd and 9th Street N. due to a suspicious object reportedly found inside a military office building on the block.

Pentagon police, Arlington County police, and the Arlington County Fire Department’s bomb squad are all on scene.

The incident started around 8:15 a.m., though more bomb squad units have been arriving over the past half hour, tipsters tell ARLnow. There’s no word so far on when the situation might be resolved and the road closure lifted.

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ARLnow.com

Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. The ARLnow staff byline is used for the Morning Notes and reporting done by an editor or other member of our full-time staff.