the man who sprinkled an unidentified powdered substance into the orchestra pit of the metropolitan opera during saturday<u+2019>s matinee performance of <u+201c>guillaume tell<u+201d> may have been spreading human ashes. his actions prompted the opera house to cancel the production before it was finished, according to a spokesman for the met. the new york police department was investigating the incident, in which the man tossed small amounts of a powdery substance into the pit and then fled the scene, according to police sgt. lee jones. sgt. jones said that lincoln center for the performing arts custodial crew members removed the substance, which is now being tested. those individuals were evaluated for injuries by emts and later released, said sam neuman, a met spokesman. at a news conference saturday night, police said that after reviewing security cameras and other surveillance systems they had identified the man, but declined to give his name or any details about him. according to witnesses who spoke with him, he was an out-of-towner who indicated he wanted to scatter the ashes of his mentor, police said. the incident happened during the show<u+2019>s second intermission, and no musicians were in the pit at the time, police said. law-enforcement was still seeking to speak with the man; while his action may have been a city health violation, it isn<u+2019>t clear whether there was any criminal intent, police said. eric phillips, a spokesman for mayor bill de blasio, said on twitter that the mayor had been briefed on the situation by nypd commissioner james o<u+2019>neill, and there was no immediate danger and no injuries. the met canceled the remaining half-hour of the show and advised operagoers that <u+201c>there was a technical issue.<u+201d> mr. neuman didn<u+2019>t provide a precise figure on the number of people evacuated but said the auditorium holds 4,000 and that the performance had been <u+201c>well-sold.<u+201d> later, the met said it was canceling the evening performance of a different opera while authorities continued to investigate. new york city is still on edge after a bomb blast in the chelsea neighborhood last month injured several dozen people . last week, one floor of hillary clinton <u+2019>s brooklyn campaign office was evacuated after an envelope containing an unidentified white powder was received there. at the news conference saturday night, peter gelb, the met<u+2019>s general manager, underscored the organization<u+2019>s concern for the safety of its patrons and performers, then added: <u+201c>we appreciate opera lovers coming to the met. we hope they will not bring their ashes with them.<u+201d> write to erica orden at erica.orden@wsj.com and jennifer smith at jennifer.smith@wsj.com
mystery powder that prompted opera evacuation may have been human ashes - wsj
erica orden jennifer smith