Spicy Suspicious Substance in Atlantic City

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October 15, 2001 6:32 am ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- The Sands Hotel & Casino was shut down for about an hour Sunday night after a suspicious white substance was found, authorities said.

Capt. Paul Shropshire, the fire department incident commander, said a couple walked away from their table at the Boardwalk Buffet and left behind a prescription bottle with a white powder in it.

Restaurant workers who found the bottle notified authorities, and city police, fire department and state police all responded. The couple told authorities the substance was a spice they brought to use on their food, The Press of Atlantic City reported in Monday's editions.

No one was allowed in or out for about an hour, starting at 6:30 p.m.

On Pop Lloyd Avenue, near the back of the casino, blue-suited hazardous material workers, along with uniformed firefighters with their hats on and masks down, hosed down the emergency service workers who had come into contact with the substance.

"We treat everything as a hazardous material," said Emergency Management Director Robert Levy.

Shropshire said the top never came off the bottle, but authorities evacuated the third floor of the casino, where the buffet and ticket office were located. The addresses of about 100 people were taken in case the substance is found to be something significant.

The Atlantic City health department took the substance for testing.

The scare caused a major disruption in the casino while the buffet was evacuated.

Alice Antonio, 74, of Old Forge, Pa., with her daughter Barbara, 49, were buying tickets to the Manhattan Magic comedy review on third floor.

"There was a lot of irate people. When you're being held and you don't know why, it's upsetting," Alice said.

Fire trucks left the scene at 9:30 p.m.

No one at the Sands would comment. Casino spokesman Kevin McCarthy did not return phone calls.

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), October 15, 2001