A cleaner was rushed to hospital after coming into contact with a suspicious powder left at a 5-star hotel by a trespasser, it is claimed.
John Taddei, 55, from Queens, has been charged with trespassing after entering the Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan, New York on Sunday evening at about 8.30pm. He used a family's hotel key cards to enter the 11th floor of the posh hotel.
The family's room he entered had been empty for a few hours after the guests, who had been staying at the room since November 22, checked out on Sunday morning, according to cops.
The group, authorities believe, may have accidentally dropped one of their key cards when the family were checking out, after it was used to gain access to their room.
Image:
ABC News / WABC)Mr Taddei spent 14 hours in the room after leaving at 10.30am on Monday morning.
However, when the cleaner entered the room, she was met with a powdery substance that made her sick, and she was rushed to hospital.
Mr Taddei later told officers he used talcum powder, after taking a shower in the room, and believes it is the powder the woman encountered.
Image:
ABC News / WABC)Police believe the cleaner might have had a psychosomatic reaction to seeing the powder.
The New York City Fire Department were called to the hotel, but as the substance had already been cleaned up, police were forced to test any remaining residue left behind.
Authorities confirmed a positive test for an explosive substance was found and, as a precaution, the hotel of the 11th floor was evacuated so other rooms and objects could be tested.
Assistant Chief James McCarthy, from the New York Police Department, said: “All subsequent tests of the surfaces were met with negative results.
Image:
ABC News / WABC)“There were no trace amounts of hazardous materials detected. At this time we feel that the earlier test results were a false positive.”
The cleaner, who was taken ill, is expected to make a full recovery.
Mr Taddei had previously been arrested on 16 occasions each for "low-level crimes" and has a history of trespassing hotel rooms.
Police confirmed he had previously used hotel key cards to gain entry into rooms and steal items from the guests.
Mr McCarthy added: “I want to stress to all New Yorkers and visitors that there’s no credible threat against the city at this time."
