BETHLEHEM — A device that looked like an explosive — but turned out to be a harmless replica — shut East Poplar Drive in Delmar on Friday for about two hours while police investigated.

At 4:34 p.m., the Bethlehem Police received a report of a suspicious device on the side of the road on East Poplar near Woodridge Road, according to a release from the department.

Trained dogs from the Albany County Sheriff’s Department and New York State Police sniffed what appeared to be an improvised explosive device, and the New York State Police Bomb Disposal Unit also examined the device, the release said; x-rays determined it was a replica, not capable of causing damage.

The Elsmere Fire Department and Delmar-Bethlehem Emergency Medical Services also assisted on the scene.

The Bethlehem Police Department is continuing to investigate who placed the device and is asking anyone who saw the item to contact police at (518) 439-9973.