Illinois State Representative Barbara Hernandez’s employee falls ill and is hospitalized after handling mail at Aurora office on Benton and Stolp Streets

AURORA, Ill. (WLS) — The Aurora building housing State Rep. Barbara Hernandez’s office was evacuated on Monday afternoon.

Police confirmed that one of her staffers became sick after opening a piece of mail. That employee was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

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Police said they are still working to find out what a substance in the mail was and whether that was what made Hernandez’s staffer sick.

Emergency crews roped off the former library at Benton and Stolp, which houses several businesses, including where Danny Souri works.

“FBI has been dispatched. FBI is here. We were told not to leave. We can’t go back into the building, and they are sweeping the building as we speak,” Souri said.

Hernandez told ABC7 she was not at her office when it happened, and that a second staffer was present but not hurt.

In a Facebook post, she wrote that her staffer who became ill “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.”

Police are still investigating on Monday night, but said there is no risk to the public.