Staffer Hospitalized After Opening Mail At State Rep's Office: Aurora Police

AURORA, IL — An employee at Rep. Barbara Hernandez's office in Aurora was hospitalized Monday after reportedly feeling ill shortly after opening mail, according to police.

Aurora officers and firefighters were dispatched at about 1:06 p.m. to 1 E. Benton St. for a potential hazardous materials incident. The employee was taken to an area hospital and was in stable condition as of 4 p.m. Monday.

Although police said they did not know whether the mail was a factor in the staffer's condition, first responders evacuated the building and contained the area out of an abundance of caution. There was no known risk to the general public, according to a news release.

"I want to thank all first responders for their hard work and support during [today's] incident," Hernandez wrote in a Facebook post. "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."

As an additional precaution, East Benton Street was closed between River Street and Broadway to allow emergency personnel to manage the scene. Traffic returned to normal around 6 p.m.

Hernandez's office is closed Tuesday "to give my team time to recover," she said.