Suspicious powder at Rep. Ritchie Torres' Bronx office triggers hazmat response

A hazmat scare shut down part of Fordham Road in the Bronx on Friday afternoon after staff at Rep. Ritchie Torres' district office opened a letter containing an unknown white powder. FDNY hazmat units, NYPD and the FBI responded; six people were exposed to the substance but none showed signs of illness and no one was hospitalized. Investigators are treating the mailing as the latest in a wave of threatening letters targeting New York Democratic officials. The congressman's team said staff followed protocol by isolating the envelope and clearing the suite until specialists could test the powder. The FBI is leading the probe and asked anyone with information to come forward. The story was the top local item on ABC7, PIX11, CBS New York and amNY on October 17.