The vehicle was parked in front of 4 Irving Place, which is Con Edison Headquarters.
A Con Edison employee called 911at 10:17 p.m. to report the vehicle as suspicious because of the two gas cans in the back seat on the floor of the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera.
Several floors of a high-rise residential building were evacuated and some streets in the area were blocked off as a precaution.
The bomb squad was called to check it out. They examined the vehicle, including blowing out the windows in a controlled explosion.
NYPD eventually contacted the owner. He does mowing and had gas cans on back floor of car. He was going to a concert in the area, police said. No malicious intent.
NYPD has reported a 30 percent jump in suspicious package and vehicles calls in the last two weeks. They receive more than 100 such calls every day.
