Very Serious': Aussie Cops Deal With 'Collar Bomb' Attached to Neck of Rich Teen Girl

UPDATE: The girl has been freed and identified. Read our follow-up story here.

SYDNEY (MSNBC)— Australian police were trying to defuse an explosive device strapped to an 18-year-old girl's body in a wealthy neighborhood of Sydney on Wednesday, according to local reports.

The situation was a "very serious and sensitive matter," said New South Wales Assistant Police Commissioner Mark Murdoch, according to the Herald Sun.

Police said they did not know how the "collar bomb" had been strapped to the teen's neck, but it was understood that she did not put it there herself, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The teen was "absolutely petrified," the The Daily Telegraph reported. However, the Sky News Australia reports police say she is holding up well:

<p><a href="https://video.news.com.au/2079970814/Teen-in-bomb-scare-is-holding-up-well" mce_href="https://video.news.com.au/2079970814/Teen-in-bomb-scare-is-holding-up-well">VIDEO: Teen in bomb scare is holding up well</a></p> <p>

Australia's News10 offers a rundown of the day's events:

Daily Mail:

It is understood the teenager, who recently celebrated her 18th birthday, is part of one of Sydney's wealthiest families. She was said to be 'absolutely terrified' as bomb squad officers attempted to establish the volatility of the device.

Local reports said police believed a ransom note has been attached to the girl's neck, but bomb experts were unable to get close enough to read its contents until they had decided if it was safe to approach the package.

Burrawong Avenue, Mosman, where the drama is being played out, is home to Australian racing identity Gai Waterhouse and ex-Wallaby rugby players Phil Kearns and John Eales.

The young woman's parents, who have not been identified, were outside the house comforting one another.

Police are understood to be scouring other 'items' inside the house while the girl has moved to the front part of the building.

There were some suggestions that the drama mirrors a scene from the horror movie Saw and an episode of the CSI crime show.

<p><a href="https://video.dailytelegraph.com.au/2079917771/UPDATE-Bomb-strapped-to-teenage-girl" mce_href="https://video.dailytelegraph.com.au/2079917771/UPDATE-Bomb-strapped-to-teenage-girl">VIDEO: UPDATE Bomb strapped to teenage girl</a></p> <p>