Story highlights A man sprinkles a powdery substance into orchestra pit, police say

Police are looking into possibility it may have been human ashes

(CNN) A man walked up to the front of the stage at New York's Metropolitan Opera during intermission Saturday, reached into a bag and sprinkled a powdery substance into the orchestra pit, according to police.

The rest of the performance of "William Tell" was canceled as a safety precaution, and the opera house was ordered evacuated.

Police are investigating the substance and are looking at the possibility it may be human ashes, said John Miller, New York police deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism.

"We have spoken to more than one witness, who said they spoke to an individual from out of town who indicated he was here to sprinkle ashes of a friend, his mentor in opera, during the performance. That is certainly an area which we're pursuing," Miller said.

He said police know the man's identity but won't release his name.

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