Mystery Darien Recording: Suspects Eliminated

DARIEN, IL – A loud recording could be heard over a wide area last Friday in Darien.

While officials have yet to determine the source, they have eliminated suspects.

Last week, Downers Grove South High School told Patch that it was not responsible for the announcement.

The message went something like this: "May I have your attention. The following message is a recording. Please exit the building immediately. Follow the directions posted in your area to the nearest exit. Do not use the elevators."

Darien resident Heather Conroy, who lives near Holly and Wilcox avenues, took a video to capture the recording.

On Thursday, Patch asked Darien City Administrator Bryon Vana whether the city had determined a cause.

He suggested it may have come from the four-story Oak Trace retirement center in Downers Grove. As the crow flies, the center is about a half mile north of the Conroys. And it has elevators.

Vana said he then called the center and a representative told him the recording did not come from there.

In a message on Patch, Conroy suggested that someone may have hacked the city's tornado siren system.

However, Vana said the sirens are mechanical in nature and not capable of transmitting voice messages.

"They can only produce a single tone around 500Hz in frequency," he said in an email. "There are electronic sirens that can broadcast voice messages like a large PA system, but we do not have those types of warning sirens."

The recording was about 7:30 a.m. Conroy said she and her daughter got into her car and tried to identify the source.

"We could still hear it when we were driving," she said.

They were unsuccessful in their search.

Darien police said they got no calls about the recording. Downers Grove police could not be reached for comment.