WASHINGTONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Five EMS workers and two Washingtonville Police officers were hospitalized after a medical call turned up a suspicious white powder on Saturday afternoon. The first responders were called to a house on Burnett Way at about 5:45 p.m., for reports of a man in cardiac arrest.
While police officers and EMS workers were trying to save the man’s life, the white powder was spotted nearby, according to a release. Out of precaution that the powder could be fentanyl or another dangerous substance, the residence was evacuated.
The patient was taken to Montefiore St. Luke’s Hospital in Newburgh by Blooming Grove EMS. Out of fear that they may have breathed in a deadly drug, the five EMS workers and two police officers were medically evaluated at the scene. Several of the first responders started to experience different types of mild symptoms and out of precaution were all evaluated in the emergency room at St. Luke’s.
The man who first responders were called to help, later identified as a 36-year-old Washingtonville resident, died at the hospital. The EMS workers and police officers who were evaluated at the hospital have all been discharged.
Washingtonville Police were granted a search warrant for the home and were assisted by the New York State Police. The State Police Contaminated Crime Scene Emergency Response Team was deployed to help officers find the substance and make sure the home was safe to enter. There is no known threat to public safety, police said, and this remains an active criminal investigation.