NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 717.255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
5 Oct 2006

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE CAUSES DOWNTOWN DISRUPTION

Streets in the heart of downtown Harrisburg were closed down during the busy lunch hour today and nearly 200 workers evacuated after a suspicious package was delivered to a center city office building, Mayor Stephen R. Reed reported late this afternoon.

Reed said around 10:30 a.m. this morning a box was delivered by Federal Express to the PA Healthcare Containment Council offices on the 4th floor of 225 Market Street. A mailroom employee began to open the box and saw what appeared to be 4 bags of an unknown liquid. The bags appeared to be intravenous solution and were labeled as containing sodium chloride. They were piled on top of stacks of magazines so that had a knife been used to open the box, the bags would have been slit open and likely spilling their contents.

As the Council is an administrative agency of the Commonwealth that never handles such items and would have no reason to have it delivered to them, the worker immediately stopped what he was doing and notified supervisors. They then contacted the shipping entity listed on the label, identified as a hospital in Philadelphia, who said they did not mail the package. The box contained a legitimate Federal Express shipping label, which after a search of records with Federal Express revealed that the label was originally used on a box of blank reams of paper shipped to the Council on September 18. After emptying such shipping boxes the Council normally disposes of empty boxes in the trash.

Believing that the box may have been picked out of the trash and reused, the Mayor said Containment Council staff then contacted city emergency officials around 11:30 a.m. Responding police and fire units confirmed the suspicious nature of the package and as a safety precaution closed streets and evacuated workers just before Noon from 225 Market Street, in addition to several retail stores on Market and S. Third Street that are adjacent to 225 Market Street. 147 total employees from 5 different offices were evacuated from 225 Market Street, in addition to approximately 40 other employees from adjoining retail businesses. Students at Sci-Tech High and Harrisburg University were kept inside their facility a block west of the building as it was determined they were safer inside.

Reed said the Pennsylvania State Police bomb squad and the Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency were both contacted and arrived on-scene at 1 p.m. The State Police x-rayed the package and determined it had no explosive potential. The Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency then contacted officials from PinnacleHealth who would have knowledge of medical supplies to come to the scene and ascertain whether the bags did in fact contain an intravenous solution. The PinnacleHealth officials confirmed the bags were indeed an IV solution, labeled sodium chloride, and that the bags posed no threat to public health or safety.

The Mayor said City police then took the box into custody as evidence for any potential criminal proceedings and it is now at police headquarters being processed by forensics personnel. There was no note in the box to indicate who or where it came from, nor had the Health Containment Council received any previous threats or had any recent issues that may have pointed to a disgruntled person sending it.

Reed said approximately 40 city police and fire personnel responded to the incident, along with 2 PSP Troopers and several officials from the Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency. The package was removed from the building and streets were reopened and evacuees allowed to return to their buildings just before 2 p.m. this afternoon.

“We extend our appreciation to the staff of the Healthcare Containment Council for their quick and intelligent actions in recognizing the suspicious nature of the package and in taking appropriate steps to prevent further exposure to employees,” said the Mayor. “While this incident caused major inconvenience to those affected, it was handled very well by all concerned and fortunately nothing more serious was found. Our appreciation is also extended to PinnacleHealth for their prompt assistance in identifying the package.”