Local Woman Has Skin Reaction After Opening Mysterious Package Packed With Irritating Substance
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - A local couple says they got a package in the mail, and what was inside caused a strange skin reaction.
"Went out to the mailbox, got the mail, brought it down and noticed a little itty bitty package," said Elaine Rubei.
She says she was surprised because she hadn't ordered anything recently.
The sender's address was from the island of Malta in the Mediterranean and contained rings.
"This doesn't make sense to me," she said.
It was about to become even more senseless for Rubei. There weren't rings in the parcel, but there was something designed for a hand: a single black rubber glove and some kind of dust or powder that spilled out and filled the air, burning her skin.
"It was like within minutes I got the burning sensation on my face," she said. Rubei's hands were also burning from the Maltese mystery dust.
"The first thing I wanted to know was what was up against her face," her husband said.
A retired firefighter and Elaine's husband, Guy Rubei called 911. Paramedics treated his wife, but no one knew what the irritating substance was.
"Her face was actually red at that time I looked at it and it looked like it was starting to swell," said Guy.
The U.S. Postal Service says it's not investigating the incident because there was no powder left in the envelope. A look on Google Earth show the address on the item matches a garage in Malta. Postal officials declined any further comment on the incident.
This isn't the first time strange packages have ended up in Western Pennsylvanian mail boxes -- trinkets as well as seeds have been mailed to several addresses, most of those coming from China.
"I don't know anyone who would send us this package to be perfectly honest with you," said Guy.
Meanwhile, if you see something in your mailbox that you didn't order -- certainly if it has a foreign address -- call the postal service and they'll take a look at it for you.
