Suspicious package at Penn station

I haven't seen this make the news headlines yet, as of 9 AM Eastern time. So I guess things may not be clear yet.

This morning as I was coming out of Penn Station to go towards my subway station, the regular exit from the station was blocked by US Army soldiers. Once we took the alternative exit (from the Madison Square Garden side), we saw the entire stretch of 7th Ave between 33rd and 34th Streets being blocked by ambulances, fire trucks and police cars. People were lined up on both sides of the streets. They had cameras and cell-cams in their hands, and were merrily clicking away. I thought it could be anything - some celebrity, some foreign dignitary, an accident, etc. Then I asked a cop what it was about and he said that they have found a suspicious package. And it ceased to be interesting anymore. My first instinct was to get as much distance between me and Penn station as possible. As I started walking away, I realised that most people were more interested to be part of the story. They wanted to be there as more information was obtained. And the questions that started coming to my mind were, why would one insist on being near a scene can prove to be potentially dangerous, if not disasterous.

Have New Yorkers and Americans in general have gotten so used to the idea that there may be a terror attack lurking at every corner (much of it is hysteria and paranoia, but some people would disagree citing the recent Fort Dixon plans), that they see something interesting in it?

I don't know the answers, but something about this doesn't fit in at all. Or maybe, someone can argue that New Yorkers are so tough that they have taken this in their stride and refuse to bow down to any sort of pressure. Who knows?