Joint Base Andrews Building Evacuated After Suspicious Package Opened, Several Fall Sick

Joint Base Andrews first responders have determined the package posed no immediate threat.

Vehicle traffic goes in and out of the U.S. Air Force Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Dec. 17, 2014. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The U.S. military evacuated a building at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Nov. 6 after a suspicious package was opened, leaving at least seven people ill, according to the military base.

An investigation is underway following the discovery of the package, according to the base. It stated that one building and a connecting building were evacuated as a precaution after an individual opened the package.

Joint Base Andrews first responders later determined the package posed no immediate threat, and normal operations at the base have resumed, the base said in a statement to multiple news outlets.

At least seven people were reported sick after the package was opened at the base, but they remained in stable condition and did not need to be hospitalized, according to the base.

Details about the package’s content and how it arrived at the base remain unclear. It is also unknown what illness or symptoms were experienced by those individuals who fell sick.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Joint Base Andrews for further information but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Joint Base Andrews is in Prince George’s County in Maryland, a few miles southeast of Washington. It is one of the most sensitive military bases in the United States and is frequently used by the president, vice president, and Cabinet officials for domestic and international travel.

In February 2023, a security breach occurred when an intruder entered a housing area at Joint Base Andrews, prompting a resident to open fire at the individual. The intruder, whose identity was not disclosed, was apprehended by security forces at the scene, and no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

Another security breach occurred in February 2021 when a man got through the military checkpoint entrance to the installation and proceeded through other fenced areas to enter the flight line and board a C-40 aircraft, which the military used to transport government officials. The intruder was later detained by the base’s security forces at the scene.

An inspector general’s investigation identified three primary security failures following the incident. The investigation found that a gate guard had allowed the man to drive onto the base despite having no authorizing credentials. The man was then able to slip through a security fence, then board and exit the airplane without challenge, even though he was not wearing a badge authorizing access to the restricted area.

Lawrence Wilson, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.