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Instead of ammonium nitrate, the kind of fertilizer used by Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, the person who abandoned the van on the crowded New York City street had a metal gun locker full of a harmless fertilizer, New York City Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.

While it is unknown who the potential bomber is, or the bomber’s motive, officials told ABC, that if that person were not aware of the characteristics of the fertilizer it could point to the fact that the bomber did not know what he was doing.

Sources also told ABC News that the valves on the propane tanks were not open, which would have made it less likely that the gas inside would have ignited.

Police are looking for white male in his 40s who was seen leaving the area near the SUV and shedding a dark shirt, revealing a red shirt underneath, about a half block from where survellance cameras saw the vehicle entering Times Square at about 6:28 p.m. Saturday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

“This appears to be a car bomb that the bomb squad is in the process of dismantling,” New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said. “We do not know the motive.”

Browne said an mounted policeman spotted a box smoking in the back of the Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle shortly before 7 p.m. (2300 GMT) and that Times Square, the popular tourist destination in Manhattan’s Midtown, was evacuated soon after.

He said there appeared to be a timing device attached to a box in the vehicle, which had license plates from the neighboring state of Connecticut. A bomb squad robot was working to dismantle the device.

Police and fire department sources, who asked not to be named, said the device was being treated as a “failed device” and included explosives, burned wires, three tanks of propane and two canisters of gasoline. Police would not say whether the incident was being treated as an act of terrorism.

New York has remained on high alert for another attack since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in which hijacked airliners toppled the World Trade Center’s twin towers.

Last year police said they thwarted a plot to bomb the New York subway system. Two men have pleaded guilty in the case.

U.S. President Barack Obama commended the “quick action” by New York police in dealing with the incident and said the New York Police Department had done “excellent work” in responding.

A New York police officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said a man was seen fleeing the car and that Times Square was evacuated in case there were other devices.

In Washington, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said the Joint Terrorism Task Force has responded along with the NYPD.

A U.S. official, who asked not to be identified by name, said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was aware of the situation and was monitoring developments, but declined to comment further. The official said the New York Police Department was in charge of the investigation.

Times Square was eerily empty for several blocks on Saturday night, the busiest night of the week on the Great White Way as tourists and theater-goers watched from behind barricades as anti-terrorism units swarmed the scene.

‘MEMORIES OF 9/11’

Don Slovin, watching the police through the window of a souvenir shop a block from the SUV, said, “Of course it conjures up memories of 9/11.”

The SUV was parked very close to a production of the show “The Lion King” on 45th Street. Women in evening gowns were among the crowd on one of the warmest nights of the year and the busiest night of the week for Broadway theaters.

“It’s New York. If you’re from New York you just get used to it,” said Creswell Rudolph, 37, a bank security guard stationed a block from the SUV. “It could have been a lot worse.”

“With this, it’s just lucky they found it in time. Thank God for that,” he said.

Vehicle and pedestrian traffic was very heavy on streets outside the evacuation zone, including Sixth and Eighth Avenues. All intersections in the area were blocked by police and fire department vehicles, lights flashing.

Another New York City firefighter who said he arrived early on the scene described the vehicle as a dark-colored SUV, and said it was parked at the corner of 45th Street and Seventh Avenue. He confirmed the vehicle was smoking and also said he saw “a flash” from the back of the SUV.

“The SUV was smoking. There was a flash and we put two and two together” and an evacuation was ordered, he said.

The bomb squad was still on the scene working to dismantle the device in the early hours of Sunday morning.

An NYPD community affairs officer said small explosions heard by bystanders were the sound of water cannons aimed at the vehicle in an attempt to break through the glass.

Police allowed some people to enter theaters to view Broadway shows in the vicinity but later blocked other theatergoers from entering. Some hotel guests were allowed back to their rooms. Some Broadway shows were allowed to go on.

Police shut down Times Square from 43rd street to 48th street between Sixth and Eight avenues.

Tourists in the area expressed annoyance and amusement. Nam Vu, 24, said he had arrived by bus in New York at 8 a.m. from Canada and was prevented from meeting a friend at the Marriott Marquis on Times Square.

New York City police say a mounted police officer noticed smoke coming from the SUV at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that bomb investigators found propane tanks, powder and an apparent timing device inside the vehicle. The official wasn’t authorized to release the information and spoke on condition of anonymity.

A New York Police Department public information officer told CBS News the car was initially thought to be on fire. Firefighters later found out that the car was smoking, not on fire, but a suspicious package was found in the car’s back seat.

The car was first reported to police at 6:33 p.m. Eastern time, the officer said.

Officials told CBS News Station WCBS-TV in New York that there were no injuries at the scene. As a precaution, the bomb squad has been brought to the scene and is using a robot to inspect the package.

Times Square has been shut down during the investigation. Traffic is being diverted from the area and pedestrians have been pushed back from the scene.

Two CBS producers report their Broadway shows were cancelled because police evacuated the area.

Vehicle and foot traffic has been blocked off from Broadway to Seventh Avenue between 44th and 46th streets.

In December, a van without license plates parked in Times Square led police to block off part of the area for about two hours. A police robot examined the vehicle.