A stretch of a major Washington DC roadway was brought to a standstill during Wednesday morning’s rush hour after the city’s bomb squad responded to a suspicious device – only for police to later identify the object as a sex toy.

The situation unfolded at about 7am as many commuters were on their way to work. Authorities initially told WUSA9 that a witness had reported seeing someone place a suspicious package inside a trash can near the Tenleytown fire station.

According to the incident report obtained by Fox 5, a person walked up to an employee outside the rear of DC Fire and EMS Engine 20 and left a “blue-and-black electronic device” with exposed wires.

The Metropolitan police department’s bomb squad and K-9 unit were both called to the scene to investigate, and the busy Wisconsin Avenue was shut down between 40th Street and Warren Street for nearly two hours. Several lanes on nearby streets were also blocked, halting traffic in both directions.

After examining the device, authorities determined there was no danger. The police report later identified the object as an “electronic sex portable pump device”.

Eagle-eyed users on social media appeared to recognize the device, identifying it as a toy known as the “Zolo Blowbot” or an item similar to it. According to the Zolo company website, the toy features “adjustable suction levels” and a “drying function” for hygienic purposes. It currently sells for more than $300.

Authorities have since cleared the scene, and Wisconsin Avenue has reopened to traffic. No injuries were reported.

Surprisingly, this is not the first time that sex toys have stopped traffic. In September 2022, various adult items and lubricant were scattered across an Oklahoma interstate after a semi-truck flipped over and spilled its contents on to the road.

In helicopter footage of that scene, KWTV News 9 reporter Jim Gardner quipped: “This is a semi that overturned and lost its load here. There is a lot of stuff to clean up.”