WESTFIELD- Police are investigating a package containing two unmarked bags of powder mailed to a Westfield resident from an unknown sender.
Police received a 911 call from a resident of Flynn Meadow Road Sunday evening after she received the package that she did not order addressed to her from New York state. Inside the package were two bags of powder; one white powder and one blue powder that was cut open and spilled on the counter when she opened it.
A hazmat team and firefighters were sent to the scene to identify the substances. Police Chief Lawrence P. Valliere said that the bags contained silica powder and gypsum. Silica powder is a substance with uses in cosmetics, foods, and medicines among other applications. Gypsum is a material often found in drywall and plaster.
Detective Sgt. Scott Phelon said Tuesday morning that police don’t yet know why the package was sent to the house, but it is believed to have been targeted randomly.
Valliere said that the return address was for New York but the tracking code showed that it originally came from California, and that its actual origin may have been outside of the U.S.. He said that there have been similar recent incidents in Fall River and in other parts of the country.
