Visitors were forced to evacuate Harrah's Joliet Hotel and Casino on Friday after housekeeping staff found unmarked explosives in a hotel room, leading to a bomb squad response, authorities said.
At around 11:55 a.m., the Joliet Police Department was called to the hotel, 151 N. Joliet St., after housekeepers located what they believed to be unmarked explosives inside a guest's room. The casino was evacuated as a precaution while the Cook County Sheriff's Police Bomb Team responded to the scene and identified the items as commercial-grade fireworks.
Additional fireworks were founded in a vehicle located inside the parking garage and believed to be connected to those found inside the hotel, authorities said. Both the casino and hotel have since reopened to the public.
As of Friday evening, the investigation remained ongoing.
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