Police and fire officials were called to the Park Hyatt Hotel on West 57th Street near Seventh Avenue in midtown when the maid reported a suspicious powder inside room 1111, sources told NBC New York. Police and FBI agents with the Joint Terrorism Task Force were called to the scene as a precaution.
A preliminary field test of the substance by the FDNY came back positive for RDX, which is short for Royal Demolition eXplosive, according to the CDC. It is also known as cyclonite or hexogen and is said to be very explosive when combined with other ingredients. RDX is also used in some commercial products.
However, there was such a small amount of powder that there was not enough for additional tests after the initial FDNY test, law enforcement and FDNY sources said. That means that testing by the NYPD bomb squad and the department's lab would not be feasible.The last person believed to be in the room checked out on or around Nov. 25, but investigators were looking to see if a homeless person was able to access and use the room, sources said.
I hope she is ok.