Staff member from state rep's office in Aurora hospitalized after opening mail, prompting evacuation

AURORA, Ill. — An investigation by multiple agencies is underway after a staff member from a state representative's office in Aurora may have become ill from a piece of mail Monday afternoon.

The staff member was hospitalized shortly after opening the mail piece, and the potential hazardous materials incident prompted a building evacuation and a closure on East Benton Street, as Aurora police officers and firefighters responded to the office of Democratic State Rep. Barbara Hernandez.

The office, located at 1 E. Benton St. in the building of the former public library, was closed Tuesday to allow Hernandez's team to recover after the staff member was hospitalized.

"It's sad that we have to worry about these kind of things, and hopefully the (staff member) is doing well and will be back to work soon," Ramona Wood, who works in the building, said.

Authorities are now trying to determine what substance was in that letter, and whether that’s what made the staff member from Hernandez's office sick.

In addition to local authorities, other agencies — including the FBI, State Police and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service — also responded to the scene Monday. The USPIS says local responders screened the piece of mail, then postal inspectors took custody of it.

It's not clear where the letter originated from, and the investigation is ongoing.

'Pretty intense'

According to Aurora police, officers and firefighters responded to Hernandez's office just after 1 p.m. Monday. The response was initiated, police say, after an employee reported feeling ill shortly after opening mail.

While police say they're not certain if it was the mail that sickened the employee, authorities made the call to clear the building out of an abundance of caution. Additionally, E. Benton St. was closed between River Street and Broadway to allow emergency personnel to manage the scene. 

Building employees also say the ventilation system was immediately turned off.

"They said that it didn't seem to be a big concern, but they were bringing the agencies just in case," Wood said.

Police said the employee was taken to an area hospital in stable condition, and Hernandez says the employee is in good spirits. Meanwhile, Hernandez's office awaits test results to learn what may have been in that letter.

Danny Souri, who works next door to Hernandez's office, says building occupants were told not to leave the scene Monday, but they also couldn’t get back in the building until they got the all-clear.

"It was like a scene out of a movie," Souri said. "It was pretty intense.

"... When we were outside, we were informed by local authorities as to what was going on, because we got all rushed out here. It was three floors of office buildings. We all got rushed out, and they informed us all what happened, kept us on-site. They asked us all how we were feeling, checked if we were OK or not."

Souri also said that while his political views may be far different from those of Hernandez and her staff, those who work in or near her office are "going to stand behind her, and we've got her back."

"They're extremely different policy positions, politics, than I am, but they're incredible people," Souri said. "It's ridiculous to see people that are legitimately putting their lives up for their community get targeted like that."

Hernandez released the following statement on social media:

"I want to thank all first responders for their hard work and support during (Monday's) incident. 

"It’s true my office received a letter, as we usually do. One of my team members opened the letter, causing them to feel ill after. Due to this we made the call to ask for assistance from APD, where we then made sure everyone evacuated the building. My team member who came in contact with the letter is in good spirits as they wait for testing results. 

"It is unfortunate we live in this type of environment where we have to worry about these incidents. However, I’m very proud and grateful for my team and the first responders for the quick action. 

"I’m sorry to everyone who may have caused an inconvenience to the traffic. I’ve seen some social media posts, and I ask, please don’t misinform others.

"Our office will be closed (Tuesday) to give my team time to recover."