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  NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE
OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE

 
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 15, 2001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rae Hutton, Governor's Office
(609) 777-2600
John R. Hagerty, State Police Public Information Office
(609) 882-2000 x6515

FBI AND NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE RULE OUT ANY LINK BETWEEN STATE HOUSE LETTER AND BROKAW LETTER

Acting Governor & Emergency Response Officials Continue To Urge Public Caution

       W. Trenton, NJ - Colonel Carson J. Dunbar, Jr., Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and Director of the State Office of Emergency Management, in concert with representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), today issued a statement announcing that there is no apparent connection or substantive evidence between a letter received by the New Jersey Governor's Office and the contaminated letter received by NBC News.

        According to the FBI and the New Jersey State Police, a Federal Express package addressed to the Governor's Office was received and opened by a member of the support staff in the Office of Policy and Planning on Sept. 18. The package contained a letter addressed to NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw. The state employee removed the letter from the Federal Express package and dropped the letter into the outgoing U.S. mail for delivery.

       After hearing news reports about the letters sent to Mr. Brokaw and NBC News, the state employee contacted the New Jersey State Police State Governmental Security Bureau regarding the Sept. 18 Federal Express package and Brokaw letter. The State Governmental Security Bureau immediately contacted the FBI, Newark Field Office and FBI agents responded to the State House offices earlier today. The investigation, which included interviews with various state employees and, when combined with other information developed during the course of the ongoing FBI investigation, concluded that the Federal Express package and letter re-mailed by the state employee is not the contaminated letter received by NBC News and Mr. Brokaw's assistant.

        According to the New Jersey Department of Health, anthrax or anthrax-related symptoms normally appear within one to seven days of potential exposure. Neither the employee who first contacted the suspect package and letter nor anyone working in the Governor's Office has exhibited any symptoms related to anthrax or anthrax spores.

       The State Office of Emergency Management, along with the State Department of Health and other state agencies, have developed specific guidelines for handling mail (attached). These guidelines have been issued to all state government offices. Additionally, the State Police and the Office of Emergency Management have issued a series of information bulletins to all statewide law enforcement, police, and emergency management agencies regarding response to suspicious letters, packages and/or other situations concerning potential public safety concerns. The state Office of Emergency Management will continue to respond to any request for assistance and will continue to provide guidance to local, county and state agencies.

       In the wake of the growing number of reported anthrax-suspected concerns throughout the nation and the state, Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco urged all New Jerseyans to be vigilant, but to remain calm.

       "I encourage every one to take extra care when opening mail, whether at home or in the office, and to familiarize yourself with the guidelines issued by the attorney general, the FBI, the postal service and the state Office of Emergency Management.

       "This is a time for all of us to be vigilant in all we do. But we should not let fear dictate our daily routine. Go to work, go to school, go shopping - just pay more attention to your surroundings and report anything suspicious to local police agencies - whether it is an individuals actions or a piece of mail. We won't win the war on terrorism if we allow ourselves to be terrorized in our homes and in the workplace."

       Dunbar noted that the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management remains on 24/7 activation and is at the ready to help the public safely negotiate any threat or disaster.

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