A suspicious package reported at Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's district office triggered a building-wide scare in Dallas's Design District on Friday, prompting police and a fire department hazmat team to evacuate upper floors while crews secured and removed the item. Crockett's office sits on the fourth floor of 1825 Market Center Ave., and staff there were the ones who first reported the package.
Dallas Police and a Dallas Fire & Rescue hazardous materials team responded to the building, according to Dallas Voice, which first reported the incident Friday. Building officials asked everyone on the third floor and above to evacuate, while those on the first and second floors were told they could leave if they felt it necessary. Hazmat officers ultimately secured the package and removed it from the building for further investigation, the outlet reported.
The Dallas Voice newsroom itself is located on the building's second floor, just below Crockett's office, putting the outlet in the middle of the story it was covering. The building also previously housed the district office of longtime Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, whom Crockett was elected to replace in 2022, on its fifth floor.
Part of a Wider Wave of Mail Threats Nationwide
Part of a Wider Wave of Mail Threats Nationwide Friday's scare in Dallas follows weeks of similar incidents at congressional and election offices around the country. Federal law enforcement has been investigating dozens of letters containing suspicious substances mailed to congressional offices and state election officials, according to NBC News, which reported that preliminary testing found the white powder in those letters was not hazardous, though additional testing was planned. The FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Postal Inspection Service have all been looking into the mailings.
More than three dozen members of Congress have had their offices targeted with envelopes containing white powder in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, per The Guardian. The newspaper reported that the vast majority of those envelopes were intercepted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and screening facilities before they were ever delivered. Letters have targeted both Democratic and some Republican lawmakers, including Senators Ted Cruz, Chris Murphy and Alex Padilla, according to a separate report from Wired.
Not every office has been as lucky as the ones where mail was intercepted. In Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Louisiana, letters containing white powder were not caught before delivery, forcing the evacuation of election offices in those states, Wired reported. Reports on just how many states have been affected vary: NBC News put the figure at 15 states as of October 15, while Wired later cited at least 32 states. Those differing counts have not been reconciled into a single confirmed total.
Illinois and Ohio Offices Also Targeted
Dallas is far from alone in dealing with repeat scares. Suspicious mail was delivered to the district offices of at least three Illinois members of Congress — Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley and Brad Schneider — according to CBS News. For each of those three offices, it was the second suspicious-mail incident within a single week, the station reported.
In Ohio, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur's Toledo office was targeted with a package containing a suspicious substance, but it was intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service before it arrived, according to 13abc. Kaptur's office told the station that both her Washington and Northwest Ohio offices remained open and fully functional after the interception.
Dallas itself has seen this kind of scare before. In April, a 65-year-old man was taken into custody after a suspicious package found inside a Chevrolet Tahoe at Lamar and Elm Street caused major traffic delays downtown, according to CBS News Texas. Officials cleared that vehicle and package at about 1:20 p.m. and found no threat.
Friday's Incident Lands Amid a Crowded Election Season
The scare at Crockett's office comes as early voting continues in the 2026 midterm election, which runs through October 30 ahead of Election Day on November 3. Crockett, first elected in 2022 to represent Texas Congressional District 30, chose not to seek a third term in the U.S. House and is set to leave that office on January 3, 2027, after losing the 2026 Democratic primary to James Talarico for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by John Cornyn.
