An unexpected health scare unfolded Monday at an office building in downtown Aurora, Illinois, when a staff member from State Rep. Barbara Hernandez's office reportedly fell ill after opening a piece of mail. As a precaution, the building, located at 1 E. Benton St. was promptly evacuated, and emergency responders, including the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, were called to the scene.
The nature of the incident became a focus for authorities trying to determine if the mail was indeed the cause of the sickness. According to WGN-TV, East Benton Street was closed between River Street and Broadway to accommodate the response, which included screening the suspicious piece of mail.
Danny Souri, who works next door to the affected office, told CBS Chicago, "It was like a scene out of movie. It was pretty intense." Witnesses were advised by the authorities to remain on site but were prevented from reentering the building until they received the all-clear.
Representative Hernandez addressed the incident on social media, expressing gratitude toward the first responders and concern for the affected team member. "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," Hernandez stated. Despite not knowing the origin of the letter, Hernandez's office will remain closed on Tuesday to allow her team to recover.
The staff member involved was taken to an area hospital and is reported to be in stable condition. As for the entire building, it will stay closed while the investigation continues, with officials working to establish whether there was a genuine threat posed by the contents of the letter.
