Parks worker, dog, get ill at Staten Island park

WILLOWBROOK PARK (WABC) -- A toxic mystery is unfolding on Staten Island. First a dog, and then city worker, got sick.

It's unclear whether it was the water or the air, but fears about some sort of hazardous material loose in the borough brought a huge response.

So what's going on in the community of Willowbrook Park?

The Greenbelt White Trail was still closed Monday night, long after the commotion of the day was over.

"What does it feel like to walk outside and see a hazmat truck?" Eyewitness News asked.

"Not so good," a resident said.

But a whole stretch of Lovell Avenue was filled with emergency workers after a dog got sick, apparently when he drank water from the pond, and then a Parks Department worker got sick as well.

"I looked out the window and I saw the ambulances, a couple of fire trucks, cops, and I said, 'What's the matter,' so I came down and as it went on more cops and more firemen came," said John Dalia, a resident.

The Parks Department, along with DEP came in and closed the trail down. They did tests on the air and water. Some residents are concerned that someone had dumped chemicals near their homes, but there were no answers.

"Nobody really had anything more, how dangerous is this going to be, and you know, nobody had answers," Dalia said.

"My windows are open; do you suggest I close them? What about the water, etc., etc., just be safe, put the air on, shut the windows, don't drink the water," said Jeannette Rabinowitz, a resident.

But by early evening, the Parks Department said the water and air tested negative for anything hazardous, the employee who got sick was all better and out of the hospital, and the investigation would continue.

"It's so close to home, how can you feel, you live here, you pay rent, you want safety," Rabinowitz said.

The dog and parks worker both got sick back in the woods, so for now, the Parks Department is just telling people not to go back there until they can figure out what happened. A lot of residents are hoping that happens soon.