NEED TO KNOW
Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach, Fla., was evacuated after an anonymous bomb threat was called in to staff
Police thoroughly searched the property and found no explosives, but the park remained closed for the day
The park reopened the next morning and is cooperating with law enforcement as the investigation continues
A Florida water park temporarily shut down on Tuesday, July 14, after an anonymous caller claimed there was a “bomb on the property.”
Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach, Fla., was evacuated on Tuesday after the park received the threat via a phone call to the property, CBS 12, WPBF and WPTV reported, citing the Riviera Beach Police Department. Park personnel immediately notified three law enforcement officers who were already working on site and they requested additional support.
Police say an administrative employee at the park received a phone call around 12:15 p.m. local time from an individual who said, “You are all going to f—ing die. There’s a bomb on the property.” When the employee asked the caller to clarify, they allegedly repeated the threat.
The Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach, Fla.
Credit: google maps
“All I heard from the cop was that it was a bomb threat,” park guest Michael Destefano told WBPF. “I got here 10 minutes before it happened and I got into a wave pool, a slide, and out of nowhere they said evacuation.”
“I grabbed onto my little brother’s arms, and we started running towards the exit,” park guest Ariana Knight, who was evacuated from the park, told WPBF. “My brother was crying, I think it was concerning that it was a Tuesday at a water park and a threat was going on.”
By 3:30 p.m., police told the media outlets the property was thoroughly searched, but nothing was found. The park was closed for the rest of the day. Guests were allowed to return to the park to retrieve their personal belongings while police remained on the scene.
“I feel a little more at peace that it was like nothing serious, that nobody got hurt,” Knight told WBPF. “It still kind of frightens me and my brother — he was crying.”
According to an update on Facebook, the Rapids Water Park reopened on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. local time.
The investigation remains ongoing and police said more information will be released as it becomes available, according to the reports. As of now, no suspects have been publicly named in connection to the incident.
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In a statement shared with WPTV, the water park said the “safety and well-being of our guests and employees is our highest priority” and that the park would be fully cooperating with law enforcement.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Riviera Beach Police Department and Rapids Water Park for comment.
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