Crime & Safety

HazMat Team Called for 'Suspicious' Powder in Park

Testing by the hazardous materials team from Trenton determined the substance found at Village Park Saturday afternoon was harmless.

The discovery of a "suspicious" powder in Village Park prompted a response from township emergency crews and the hazardous materials team from the Trenton Fire Department Saturday afternoon (May 7), but testing ultimately determined the substance was harmless, according to the Lawrence Township Police Department.

Police Sgt. Chris Longo said police received a call at 2:32 p.m. from a woman who reported seeing a strange white powder on a grassy area adjacent to the walking path near a softball field on the Yeger Drive side of Village Park.

“We secured the area and called the fire department,” Longo said. He said police officers ushered about a half-dozen people away from the area for their safety.

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Volunteer firefighters from Lawrenceville Fire Co. stretched a hoseline and set up a decontamination area, while hazardous materials technicians from Trenton – wearing protective suits that completely encapsulated their bodies – approached the substance and took a sample of it.

A high-tech computer was used to conduct a field analysis of the powder. Longo said the results of that test proved that the substances posed no threat.

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He said the origin of the powder remains under investigation but he noted that the powder was also found in other nearby areas of the park and said “it looked as if someone was possibly using it to mark out a running path.”

Emergency personnel were clear of the park by about 5:20 p.m., he said.


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