Massachusetts Parents Share a Warning After Finding 2 Sewing Needles Inserted into Their 8-Year-old's Halloween Candy

A father and the local superintendent are warning other parents who took their children trick-or-treating in Sandwich, Massachusetts that two pieces of candy in his child's Halloween bag had puncture holes and contained sewing needles. Someone had malicious intent and came close to harming his child.

Trick or Treating; credit: Jill Wellington on Pexels

A parent's worst fear was realized after they found two pieces of Halloween candy containing sewing needles in their child's candy, and contacted the police.

These parents are now wanting to warn other parents to check any Halloween candy brought home, to make sure it has not been tampered with.

Two Sewing Needles Found in Halloween Candy

WCVB NewsCenter 5 News reported that a mother and father are concerned about the safety of local children who went trick-or-treating down Main Street in Sandwich, MA after finding his 8-year-old possessed candy that had been tampered with.

The parents wished to remain anonymous with speaking to the media, and NewsCenter 5 agreed to withhold their identities.

The father said "He [his son] had bit into a Twix bar and noticed there was something hard" and ended up finding it was a needle and came downstairs and told my wife, 'What the heck is this? I found this in my candy!'"

The mother then did a more thorough search of her son's candy. That's when she also found a needle in a Snickers "fun-sized" bar, which had a punctured wrapper.

The father said:

"This is a potential major injury and potentially life-threatening to a little kid. Think about others and don't be so malicious. If he swallowed this, there is a chance it could pierce into the esophagus or somewhere else in his G.I. tract and get pretty sick so I'm really happy he noticed it was in his mouth before he decided to swallow." -Concerned Father in Sandwich, Massachussetts

The parents recalled the places they took their child trick-or-treating, which included their neighborhood, the Sandwich Public Library, Main Street, and some side streets.

Sandwich Police Department Post Facebook Message to the Public

The Sandwich Police Department posted the following message on Facebook.

It read:

"Updated 11/2/2023 at 11 a.m.

The Sandwich Police Department is investigating the report of a sewing needle found inside a piece of Halloween Candy. Late in the evening on November 1, the Sandwich Police Department was called to a Sandwich residence for a sewing needle found in a piece of Halloween candy. The mother of an 8 year old child advised police that her son was checking his candy and noticed something poking out of it. The mother checked the candy, a small Snickers "fun size" bar. The wrapper had a puncture hole and a sewing needle was found inside the candy bar. She then checked her other children’s candy and discovered a Twix candy bar that also contained a sewing needle. It was reported that the family went trick or treating on the Main Street area of Sandwich. The police department is recommending that all trick-or-treat candy should be inspected. If your child was trick or treating in the downtown area of Sandwich, please be extra vigilant in checking your children’s candy. The police department has not received any other similar complaints.

Please contact the Sandwich Police Department if you suspect or find that your child’s candy has been tampered with. 508-888-1212."

The following images of the Snickers and Twix bars found with needles are seen below.

Candy found with sewing needles

It's sad that there are people out there intentionally trying to harm children.

The Sandwich School Superintendent released a statement, asking parents to check their children's candy for safety.

He said:

"If your child was trick or treating in the downtown area of Sandwich, please be extra vigilant in checking your children's candy." -Dr. Joseph Maruszczak, Sandwich School Superintendent

Thoughts

Now it is time for the reader to share their thoughts on this story.

• Have you ever heard of people tampering with candy on Halloween?
• Have you ever heard of someone putting needles in candy bars?
• What would you have done with your child's candy if you found it had been tampered with?
• Do you think that more people are taking their children to "Trunk-or-Treat" because the candy from church and local events is safer?

Please share this article on social media so others can be informed about this story.

It is very important that parents know to check their child's candy to keep their little ones safe.

Sources

Richardson, Rhondella. "Massachusetts mom reports finding sewing needles in 8-year-old's Halloween candy." WCVB NewsCenter 5 News. 2 November 2023.

Sandwich Police Department profile on Facebook.

Sandwich School Superintendent website.