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Law enforcement sources told CLIFFVIEW PILOT that the envelopes were delivered to at least six area hotels close to MetLife Stadium:
- Courtyard by Marriott on Polito Avenue and Quality Inn directly across the street in Lyndhurst;
- Homewood Suites on Route 17 in East Rutherford;
- Renaissance Meadowlands Hotel on Rutherford Avenue in Rutherford;
- EconoLodge Meadowlands on Washington Avenue in Carstadt;
- Hilton Hasbrouck Heights Meadowlands on Terrace Avenue.
In addition, at least two letters were intercepted on their way to a hotel in Carlstadt and another before it went to one in Lyndhurst, authorities said.
At least two post offices — in Rutherford and Wood-Ridge — drew investigators, with postal trucks blocked off by police tape and fire engines as well as ambulances on standby.
Only one hotel employee is believed to have opened one of the letters.
“Preliminary tests indicate the substance was corn starch,” Rutherford Police Chief John Russo said.
The Bergen County Bomb Squad and Hazardous Materials unit began rushing to the hotels soon after the discoveries were reported around 11:30 a.m., said Jeanne Baratta, chief of staff for Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan.
Several members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force responded, as well. The group includes the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Police. Hackensack University Medical Center was temporarily placed on lockdown, as were the hotels.
It was unclear whether a convoy of more than a dozen military helicopters that circled the area this afternoon were there in connection with the incidents.
None of the players or coaches with the Seattle Seahawks or Denver Broncos were staying at those hotels, a source confirmed.
Meanwhile, authorities were reportedly investigating the contents of a letter sent to the Manhattan office of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
As a precaution, police in area towns also contacted their local hotels and urged them to notify them immediately if any suspicious envelopes or packages show up, a Bergen County law enforcement official told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Workers at area post offices were also on the lookout, he said.
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