Man arrested after worker sickened cleaning powdery substance at Midtown hotel

NEW YORK — There was an arrest Wednesday morning after a suspicious powder was found inside a Manhattan hotel room.

A staff member was rushed to the hospital and the hotel had to be evacuated.

CBS2’s Elijah Westbrook has more on the the suspect’s criminal past and the condition of the employee.

Police said they arrested 55-year-old John Taddei, who they believe snuck into the upscale Park Hyatt Hotel, stayed in a room for a night, and then allegedly left behind a suspicious white powder that got an employee sick. He is now behind bars for the 17th time.

He has been charged with theft and criminal trespassing.

The NYPD said the suspect is no stranger to the justice system and has been arrested before on trespassing charges at other hotels.

Police said by using video surveillance they were able to spot the man, who gained access to a vacant hotel room Monday night before leaving Tuesday morning. They believe a previous guest of the room lost a key, which the man then found.

“As far as we know, it should’ve been deactivated when the family checked out. They’re still working on why it wasn’t,” NYPD Assistant Chief James McCarthy said.

A massive police response was triggered Tuesday evening, including the NYPD’s Bomb Squad and FBI after the FDNY swabbed the room and test results showed a trace of a possible explosive substance.

However, further tests showed no hazardous material was found, leading police to believe it was likely a false positive.

“It was under abundance of caution that we cleared the floor of the hotel while investigating the scene,” McCarthy said.

The Park Hyatt Hotel released a statement on Wednesday that said, in part, “The safety and well-being of our guests and colleagues remains a top priority. We are working closely with local authorities on their ongoing investigation.”

CBS2 has learned the hotel employee who was taken to the hospital is now in stable condition.

The hotel eventually returned to normal operations and authorities said there is no active threat to the public.