'Law & Order: SVU' Caterers Cause NYC Bomb Scare

'Law & Order: SVU' dished some real-life drama when its catering crew unwittingly served up a bomb scare.

The bizarre episode unfolded Thursday just outside a Manhattan courtroom, where 'SVU' had just finished shooting for the day. The catering crew was packing up, and briefly left an urn of apple cider wrapped in cellophane on a bench.

A passerby noticed the solitary container, with a wire sticking out the top, and called NYPD. Y'know ... see something, say something.

The NY Daily News says cops shut down traffic for blocks and the bomb squad responded.

Cops quickly discovered it was simply an urn of hot apple cider. Crisis averted.