Suspicious letter received at Pablo José Hernández's Caguas office
The resident commissioner’s district office received an envelope that prompted an alert and response by local and federal authorities on Tuesday afternoon.
PhotoThe short version
- El Vocero and Primera Hora reported the alert was received at approximately 4:09 p.m. Tuesday at the Caguas office on Avenida José Mercado at the corner of Calle Padial and Calle Ruiz Belvis
- El Vocero stated authorities have not confirmed the envelope contains anthrax or any dangerous bacteria, no test results have been released, a security perimeter was established by the Police Explosives Office, and no one was injured
- Hernández stated the letter was similar to those received by hundreds of congressional district offices in recent days, his staff is fine, and thanked Puerto Rico Police, U.S. Capitol Police and federal authorities, according to El Vocero and El Nuevo Día
- All four outlets reported the FBI is leading the investigation along with specialized police units; the incident forms part of a wider wave of suspicious letters to congressional offices
Updates
Update, Oct 20, 6:04 PM AST
El Vocero adds the exact office intersection, Explosives Office perimeter, explicit non-confirmation of anthrax, and that no one was hurt.
El Vocero reported that the alert occurred around 4:09 p.m. at the district office located at Calle Padial corner with Calle Ruiz Belvis in Caguas. Police initially responded, after which the FBI and the Police Explosives Office were mobilized. As a precaution, Explosives personnel established a security perimeter while the matter is investigated. No injuries or affected persons have been reported.
The outlet stated that authorities have not confirmed whether the correspondence contains anthrax or any dangerous bacteria, nor have test results been released that would determine any health risk. Hernández issued a written statement repeating that the letter was similar to those received by hundreds of congressional district offices in recent days, that his staff is well, and thanking Puerto Rico Police, U.S. Capitol Police and federal authorities for their intervention. El Vocero noted that it has not been officially established whether the Caguas incident is connected to the others.
Alert and response
A suspicious envelope was received Tuesday afternoon at the Caguas district office of Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera, according to Primera Hora. Police press office confirmed the alert was received at 4:09 p.m. The envelope was directed to the office on Avenida José Mercado and was alleged to possibly contain anthrax. FBI agents are in charge of the inquiry while specialized police divisions trained in handling such materials are also on scene.
Hernández confirmed the incident on social media, stating that his office had received a suspicious letter similar to others received by congressional offices. He noted that staff are well and thanked the Puerto Rico Police, U.S. Capitol Police and federal authorities for their intervention, El Nuevo Día reported. A photo accompanying his post showed a white envelope with a Texas postmark and a New York return address.
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What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Hoy nuestra oficina distrital en Caguas recibió una carta sospechosa similar a las que han recibido cientos de oficinas distritales de congresistas en los últimos días. Nuestro personal está bien.
Our translation: Today our district office in Caguas received a suspicious letter similar to those that hundreds of congressional district offices have received in recent days. Our staff is fine.
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Nuevo Día. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Context of similar incidents
The event forms part of a broader wave of suspicious mailings. Metro Puerto Rico reported that more than three dozen congressional offices have been targeted with envelopes containing an unidentified white powder, citing The Guardian. ABC News sources told Metro that more than 100 such letters could be in circulation. The FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and Postal Inspection Service are investigating. Some letters carried the phrase “Thinking of You.”
El Nuevo Día noted that Rep. Ritchie Torres also received a similar envelope last week. Preliminary tests on some letters have ruled out dangerous substances, but authorities have not yet identified those responsible. The incidents come weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections and recall similar 2023 events in which election offices received white-powder mailings, some containing fentanyl traces.
Where the sources differ
All four sources agree that a suspicious letter reached Pablo José Hernández Rivera’s Caguas district office on Tuesday afternoon, that the FBI and specialized police units responded, that Hernández said his staff is well, and that the event is part of a larger wave of similar mailings. Primera Hora and El Vocero are the only sources citing the specific 4:09 p.m. alert time; El Vocero alone gives the exact intersection (Calle Padial and Calle Ruiz Belvis), states that the Police Explosives Office set up a security perimeter, explicitly says authorities have not confirmed anthrax or released test results, and reports no one was hurt. Primera Hora is the only outlet that alleges the envelope could contain anthrax. El Nuevo Día and El Vocero quote or paraphrase Hernández’s written statement; El Nuevo Día alone describes the Texas postmark and New York return address visible in the accompanying photo. Metro Puerto Rico alone cites The Guardian and ABC News on the scale of the wave and notes it is unclear whether the Caguas letter contained powder.
What the reports do not say
The reports still do not state whether any white powder was actually found inside the Caguas envelope, what preliminary or laboratory tests have shown in this specific case, whether the letter contained any written message or threats, whether the office was evacuated, when the FBI expects to complete its analysis, or whether any arrests have been made in the wider series of mailings. They also do not disclose the exact current location of the envelope or the precise federal agencies still involved beyond the FBI.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published and last updated. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Alerta en oficina de Pablo José Hernández por sobre sospechoso
- Reporting Pablo José Hernández denuncia que enviaron “carta sospechosa” a una de sus oficinas en Caguas
- Reporting Carta sospechosa llega a oficina del comisionado residente en Caguas
- Reporting FBI investiga carta con posible bacteria peligrosa en oficina de Pablo José Hernández
How we checked this
El Vocero, Primera Hora, El Nuevo Día and Metro Puerto Rico all covered the Tuesday incident at the Caguas office. The security perimeter, explicit non-confirmation of anthrax, and confirmation of no injuries rest solely on El Vocero. The photo details and scale of the national wave rest on single earlier sources.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.