Ithaca Police are investigating a homemade pipe bomb that was found in an apartment Wednesday.

Police responded to a suspicious-package complaint in an apartment on West State Street. The caller told authorities he found what appeared to be a pipe bomb in his closet -- but Wednesday wasn't when the caller initially noticed the device. He actually found it six weeks earlier when he moved into the apartment.

He told police that, after speaking with a friend, he decided to report it.

Law enforcement removed the device and manually detonated it in a safe location. They confirmed that it was indeed a homemade pipe bomb, but it did not have the necessary items to detonate on its own.

Officers are reminding the public that if they see something, to say something. 

"If folks see something in their neighborhood that they think to be either a suspicious package or anything else that needs police attention, please give us a call," said Ithaca Police Officer Jamie Williamson. "You know, we'll either handle it ourselves or call on the experts. In this case, the experts were the Endicott Bomb Squad. They came and did their thing. It's a testament to the great working relationships we have with the police departments in this area."

This is an open investigation. Authorities are now looking into how the device went un-noticed before the caller moved in, and why it was left.