Police in Barrie, Ontario are investigating after parents reported finding a two-inch sewing needle in a piece of Halloween candy after their child had bit into it.
Now, checking Halloween candy for razor blades and the like has become something of a punch line in recent years.
The idea of Halloween candy laced and tainted with all kinds of nastiness has become sort of a boogeyman on its own, an urban myth that never really seems to go anywhere. It’s like something invented to add just another layer of scariness to the scariest day of the year.
However, there’s a kernel of truth to it, although cases of candy being tampered with tend to be quite rare.
Back in 2000, James Joseph Smith of Minneapolis handed out candy he had poked needles into, but none of his victims were seriously injured, with just one 14-year-old boy pricked by a needle but not badly enough to seek medical attention. As NBC News reported, Smith was charged with one count of adulterating a substance with intent to cause death, harm, or illness.
And every year, there seems to be one or two reports of kids biting into something containing a razor blade or a needle.
In 2017, for example, numerous police forces around the country reported isolated incidents of tainted Halloween candy and, according to Snopes , they all turned out to be hoaxes, often pranks played by kids on their parents or false reports from adults seeking attention.
Now, police in Canada are investigating a report of a needle found in a piece of candy.
The police in Barrie, Ontario shared the above image in a press release , saying they had been “contacted by a concerned homeowner after her child bit into a chocolate bar that contained the needle.”
RELATED STORIES
Police added that the child was not injured and that they couldn’t determine whether the needle had been put there before or after packaging.
Whether it’s a hoax or a prank or not, they’re taking the situation seriously.
Although the vast majority of these reports fall into the urban myth category, the authorities just want everyone to be safe, so they’re encouraging parents to “please have a second look at their child’s candy and make certain that they have not been tampered with and are safe to consume.”
Better safe than sorry!
