What’s making people sick at courthouse? (Monmouth NJ MAB footage begins at 55seconds)

FREEHOLD — Authorities said they still do not know what sickened as many as 77 people at the Monmouth County Courthouse, which was evacuated Monday afternoon and will remain closed again today.

After more than 60 people complained of symptoms such as tightness in the chest, shortness of breath and nausea, palpitations, rash and dizziness, the courthouse was closed at 1 p.m. Monday, Monmouth County spokesman William K. Heine said. He added that there were 17 similar reports on Friday.

“We have no idea what caused it,” Heine said, adding that volatile chemical compounds were ruled out as a cause Monday, as were fresh-cut flowers, which were suspected Friday. Additional test results may be available today, Heine said.

A triage and treatment area was established outside the courthouse Monday. Twenty-five people were transported to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township and Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for further evaluation. The rest were treated at the courthouse.

“When everyone has the same story, you’re well past some hysterics,” said Dr. M. Michael Jones, emergency medicine department chairman at CentraState. “Definitively, there was something there that sickened these people.”

Heine said tests conducted by a state judiciary safety officer and the State Police HazMat unit Monday afternoon for volatile chemical compounds came back negative. On Monday night, authorities planned to test for dust, pollen and mold.

Jones, who has worked at the hospital since 1988, said Monday was the first time the hospital has had a decontamination of that degree.

“The patients had the symptoms of scratchy throats, nasal and throat irritation, difficulty breathing, tightness of the chest, tightness of the throat and feeling a transient rash on their skin,” said Jones. “Many had perceived a sweet odor in the air, which we found to be more concentrated on the EMTs that were taking care of multiple patients.”

Monday is typically a busy day at the courthouse, when status conferences are generally held in criminal cases. Heine said he did not know how many people were in the building when it was shut down.