These are some reports from 2022 of adulterated Halloween candy and dangerous or odd items found in candy collections. That year saw unsubstantiated fears about trick-or-treaters being handed rainbow fentanyl. Like other years, some reports turned out to be hoaxes, and some others remain unsubstantiated. Some links may no longer be valid.
KMOV-TV [St. Louis], 10 October 2022
Mom finds cannabis gummy worms in 5-year-old’s Halloween candy in St. Charles
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Tiffany Burroughs took her 3 boys, ages 1, 2 and 5 years old, to a trunk or treat Halloween event on Saturday. […] As Burroughs’ three boys were collecting candy, she noticed an unusual package of gummy worms in a candy bowl but didn’t think much about it till she got home and inspected the children’s candy. […] The package said “Delta 88 THC” on it. It’s a cannabis product that’s meant for adults only, and online sellers claim it can make someone high. […]
[A pill found in a box of Nerds candy handed out at a Trunk or Treat event at Firebrook, KY, on 21 Oct. was determined to be Meclizine, an antihistamine.]
Pulaski [KY] County Sheriff's Office
21 October 2022
UPDATE: The Kentucky State Police Crime Lab has determined this tablet to be Meclizine. Meclizine is an antihistamine that is used to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and dizziness caused by motion sickness. It may also be used to reduce dizziness and loss of balance (vertigo) caused by inner ear problems. This case remains under investigation by the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office to determine how it may have gotten mixed in with the candy. […]
https://larongenow.com/2022/10/31/alcohol-freezies-handed-out-by-mistake-during-halloween-event/
La Ronge Now [Prince Albert, SK, Canada], 31 October 2022
Alcohol freezies handed out by mistake during Halloween event
The Resort Village of Candle Lake had to issue a warning Saturday evening after a small number of freezies containing alcohol were handed out at a community children’s party earlier in the day. “Please inspect your children’s treats and dispose of suspicious freezies accordingly,” stated the notice on the village’s Facebook page. Mayor Terry Kostyna said it happened during the annual Trunk or Treat Halloween event held Saturday afternoon. […]
https://www.fox19.com/2022/11/01/safety-pin-metal-found-ohioans-halloween-candy-police-say/
WXIX-TV [Cincinnati, OH], 31 October 2022
Safety pin, metal found in Ohioans’ Halloween candy, police say
HIGHLAND COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - Multiple parents in Lynchburg say they found small pieces of metal in their children’s Halloween candy last week. Lynchburg Police Chief Richard Warner says they are investigating four different reports involving five pieces of candy. Warner says small pieces of metal including a safety pin and something resembling a thumb tack were found. “We never believed or thought it would happen in our small town,” said Travis Shaffer, a father-of-four. Schaffer says he and his fiancée took their children trick-or-treating Thursday. When they got home, the couple started checking their candy. “Package didn’t feel right, so she busted it open and pulled the Three Musketeer[s] open, and sure enough, there was a razor blade inside,” Shaffer said. […]
https://www.timesgazette.com/news/69633/safety-pin-found-in-kids-candy
Times Gazette [Hillsboro, OH], 31 October 2022
Safety pin found in kids’ candy
Police chief: Four different incidents reported
[…] Another child from the same residence said they found a razor blade in some of their candy, but [Lynchburg Police Chief Richard] Warner said officers did not see the razor. He said the child reportedly threw the piece of razor blade in the trash.” […]
https://globalnews.ca/news/9241454/winnipeg-police-cannibis-edibles-halloween-candy/
Global News [Canada], 1 November 2022
Winnipeg police investigating ‘small area’ of Tuxedo after reports of cannabis edibles in Halloween candy
Winnipeg police say they’re “keenly” investigating a small area of south Tuxedo after receiving multiple reports — upwards of half a dozen — of cannabis edibles being discovered in children’s Halloween goodies. Police say the items were included in ziploc bags, alongside full-sized candy bars and were given out to trick or treaters Monday night. The packages — labeled ‘Medicated Nerds Rope Bites’ are designed to resemble ‘Nerds’ candy, and include a stamp on the packaging stating they contain 600 milligrams of THC. […] [See following item]
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-halloween-trick-or-treat-cannabis-candy-1.6982864
CBC News, 29 September 2023
Woman pleads guilty to 'inadvertently' handing out cannabis candies to Winnipeg trick-or-treaters
One of two people accused of handing out cannabis edibles to trick-or-treaters as young as six in a south Tuxedo neighbourhood last Halloween has pleaded guilty. Tammy Sigurdur's voice trembled as her defence lawyer, Saul Simmonds, told a Winnipeg court Thursday she was pleading guilty to two counts related to "inadvertently providing the items" last Oct. 31. Simmonds told provincial court Judge Julie Frederickson his client "is accepting responsibility." […]
https://twitter.com/bestofnextdoor/status/1587234974096302080
Best of Nextdoor, 31 Oct. 2022
[Penis-shaped candy given out on Halloween.]
This Is Wiltshire [UK], 1 November 2022
Wiltshire Police advice after Swindon parents report suspicious Halloween sweets
POLICE have issued advice to parents after concerns were raised about sweets given to children in Swindon on Halloween. Posts on social media have appeared which suggest that some chocolates given to costumed trick-or-treaters on Monday evening had not been properly wrapped and had holes in them. […] Victoria Ann Munday, who lives in Walcot, revealed that she found a strange-looking strawberry rose Quality Street among [her son’s] trick or treating stash, after he went out in the Walcot area on Monday night. […]
https://twitter.com/CranbrookRCMP/status/1587265906983731200
Cranbrook [BC] RCMP, 31 October 2022
Cbk RCMP urge everyone carefully check their boxes & bags of store bought halloween candy & chocolate. Earlier, an area resident discovered a blade in a box of Halloween chocolate. The blade was loose amongst the individual bars & appears to have been inserted into the box.
Cranbrook Daily Townsman [BC], 2 November 2022
Investigation into a knife blade in a box of candy reveals no malicious intent
A piece of box cutter blade found embedded in a box of Halloween candy appears to have orginated at the manufacturer’s — likely the result of a packaging error. Cranbrook RCMP looked into a report of the blade found in the candy box, and determined there was no malicious intent. […]
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/dog-poo-bags-wales-halloween-25406643
Wales Online, 1 November 2022
'Someone put dog poo in bags outside their house for trick or treaters'
Someone put dog poo in bags outside their house for trick or treaters, it has been alleged. A Facebook user shared that a house on Ann Street in Cilfynydd put "dog s**t in bags for the kids." […]
https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/mums-horror-blade-found-sweet-7768112
Grimsby Live [UK], 1 November 2022
Mum's horror as blade found in sweet after night of trick-or-treating in Cleethorpes
"I was so shocked. How could someone do this?"
A Cleethorpes woman said she was sickened to find a "pencil sharpener blade" hidden inside a sweet that her children brought home after a night of trick or treating. Lindsey Dickinson, who lives on Daubney Street, said she discovered a "strange-looking" sweet as her two children Charlie, 14, and Grace, 12, were showing her the goodies they had collected after spending an hour-and-a-half knocking on doors in Cleethorpes on Halloween night. […]
KMTR-TV [Eugene, OR], 2 November 2022
Eugene Police receives three reports of razor blades found in candy bars on Halloween
EUGENE, Ore. — Eugene Police say trick-or-treaters have found two more razor blades in their candy bars making it a total of three. Police say the razor blades resemble the blades found in pencil sharpeners. […]
https://twitter.com/barringtonripd/status/1587494538066681857
Barrington [Rhode Island] Police Dept., 1 November 2023
Important Community Notification: It has been brought to our attention from a resident in Barrington that they found a wrapped/sealed hypodermic needle mixed in their child’s candy from Halloween. At this time, it is uncertain if this was malicious in nature or an oversight by another resident. […]
WTRF-TV [Wheeling, WV], 1 November 2022
West Virginia Police Chief: “Needle marks” in Halloween candy false alarm
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. (WTRF) — Parents in Moundsville were concerned after a candy bar trended on social media Monday night showing what looked like suspicious “needle marks” in the chocolate. But after the candy was turned in and inspected by the Moundsville Police Department, the chief wants trick-or-treaters to know it was a false alarm! […]
WTVC-TV [Chattanooga, TN], 1 November 2022
Lafayette PD investigating second tampered candy claim after minor admits to false report
Lafayette [GA] Police say they are now investigating a second claim that a minor found Halloween candy with "a foreign item of a potentially dangerous nature" in it. This comes just hours after Lafayette Police provided an update on a claim that a child's Halloween candy had been tampered with, saying the minor admitted fabricating and falsely reporting the incident. Charges might now be pending in the first case. Hours later on Tuesday, Lafayette Police posted on Facebook saying they received another report of a "foreign item of a potentially dangerous nature" found in a candy product. […]
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/south-chicago-heights-halloween-marijuana-candy/
WBBM-TV [Chicago], 1 November 2022
Man gave out candy that may have contained marijuana to trick-or-treaters in South Chicago Heights, police say
SOUTH CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) -- A man stood charged with child endangerment Tuesday after police said he gave out candy bags to trick-or-treaters that may have been contained with marijuana. Jacob Feilen was charged with five counts of child endangerment, according to South Chicago Heights police Chief Bill Joyce. Joyce said Feilen claimed he bought marijuana legally, and then repackaged gummy bear candy in the bags the marijuana had come in. The odor of marijuana was strong, Joyce said. […]
The Salem News [Danvers, MA], 1 November 2022
Police believe reports of THC-laden Halloween candy are unfounded
BEVERLY — Social media posts warning other parents in Beverly that children were being given THC-laden candy in the Goat Hill neighborhood are unfounded, police believe. […]
The Daily Press [Timmins, ON], 1 November 2022
Needle reported to have been found in chocolate bar given out on Halloween night
The Timmins Police Service is investigating a reported tampering of candy that was handed to a young child on Halloween night. According to police, “A complainant has reported that a needle was discovered inside one of the commercially prepared and wrapped chocolate bars that was collected during Halloween.” […]
The Province [BC], 1 November 2022
Child sickened by THC-laced Halloween candy: Richmond RCMP
A child in Richmond was taken to hospital after becoming ill from eating Halloween candy laced with THC. […]
https://twitter.com/BPDAlerts/status/1587465861824221184
Buffalo [NY] Police Dept, 1 November 2022
Important message: Social media posts claiming that fentanyl laced candy has led to deaths of young people in the City of Buffalo are not accurate. Buffalo police & fire have no reports of incidents at this time.
The Daily Jeff [Cambridge, OH], 1 November 2022
Byesville PD: Candy bar tested positive for meth
On Tuesday afternoon, the Byesville Police Department was made aware of a suspicious candy bar found in a child's bag from Monday night’s trick or treat in the Village of Byesville. The unopened candy bar had a pin-size hole in the wrapper, according to a release on the department's Facebook page. […]
The Daily Jeff [Cambridge, OH] | 4 November 2022
Byesville Police chief: No fentanyl found in candy bar
Byseville Police, 1 November 2022
Byseville Police, 4 November 2022
https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/laindon-teenager-finds-razor-halloween-7773736
Essex Live [UK], 2 November 2022
Laindon teenager finds razor in Halloween chocolate after trick or treating in
A teenager from Laindon reportedly discovered a razor blade embedded in some chocolate given to her while Trick or Treating in Laindon on Monday evening (October 31). The 14-year-old girl was out with her friends in the Church View area, knocking on doors with pumpkins outside to trick or treat on Halloween night. The teen's mum, Tracey Pleydell, said: "She went out and was only out for about half an hour or so, just in the local area. She came back home and was upstairs and all of a sudden I could hear her screaming and calling me. "I thought she was pranking me. She had a cut on her lip and she's saying 'there's something sharp and it hurts' and she's not talking properly.” […]
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-63483587
BBC News, 2 November 2022
Laindon: Police probe Curly Wurly bar razor blade report
Police are investigating after a family said their teenage daughter cut her lip on a blade placed inside a Curly Wurly bar she received by trick or treating. […]
nto.pl [Poland], 1 November 2022
Cukierek albo psikus. W Opolu na osiedlu Armii Krajowej ktoś włożył 10-latkowi do cukierka igłę!
[A 10-year-old boy in Opole, Poland, supposedly pricked his finger on a needle that had been inserted into a candy he had collected on Halloween.]
https://www.koat.com/article/grants-new-mexico-sharp-objects-halloween-candy/41836734
KOAT-TV [Albuquerque, NM], 2 November 2022
Sharp objects found in children's Halloween candy in New Mexico
GRANTS, N.M. — The Grants Police Department has received reports of Halloween candy being tampered with in the city of Grants. Grants police say there were two separate incidents reported of needles and sharp objects found in children's Halloween candy. […]
MPGNOW [Prince George, BC], 2 November 2022
Fort St. John parent finds “suspicious white pill” inside tampered Aero bar
Police in Fort St. John is reminding parents to help check their child’s Halloween treats after an Aero bar with a white pill was discovered. According to the RCMP, a parent stopped by the detachment and provided the full-sized chocolate bar with the white circular pill stuffed inside. […]
https://globalnews.ca/news/9245057/winnipeg-police-sharp-object-halloween-candy-bar/
Global News [Canada], 2 November 2022
Winnipeg police investigate ‘sharp object’ reportedly found in Halloween candy bar
Police are looking into a report that a sharp object was found in a chocolate bar handed out to a trick-or-treater in Winnipeg. […]
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/iqaluit-rcmp-investigating-reports-of-pins-in-halloween-candy/
Nunatsiaq News [Iqaluit, NU], 3 November 2022
Iqaluit RCMP investigating reports of pins in Halloween candy
The Iqaluit RCMP says it’s investigating after it received two reports from parents who reported they found metal pins in their children’s Halloween candy. […]
https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2022/iqaluit-rcmp-investigate-tampered-halloween-candy
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 3 November 2022
Iqaluit RCMP investigate tampered Halloween candy
Hawaii News Now, 3 November 2022
Woman says she found a needle in granddaughter’s Halloween candy
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Parents: Check your children’s Halloween candy. That’s the warning from an Oahu woman, who says she found a needle in her granddaughter’s mini chocolate bar. She says she made the disturbing discovery Tuesday after cutting the candy in half. […]
Hawaii News Now, 3 November 2022
Police search dumpsters for evidence following report of Halloween candy tampering in Kailua
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Honolulu Police Department confirms they’re testing Halloween candy distributed in Kailua for drugs and have opened a reckless endangering case following a report of candy tampering. […]
Le Droit [Quebec], 3 November 2022
Intoxication et aiguilles: des bonbons d’Halloween suspects à Gatineau
[Metal objects found in Halloween candies [Coffee Crisp, Aero, Airheads] in the Gatineau region of Quebec, plus a suspected poisoning.]
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/investigation-reveals-tainted-candy-report-was-false
KRCG-TV [MO], 3 November 2022
Investigation reveals tainted candy report was false, says Morgan County sheriff
NEW BLOOMFIELD — The Morgan County Sheriff's Department says a report of possible tainted Halloween candy was false. According to Chief Deputy J.D. Williams, a 37-year-old man reported that he was sickened by candy he could have picked up at Trunk-or-Treat events in Stover, Laurie, or Gravois Mills. In a social media post, Sheriff Norman Dills says the man told police he had been sick for the previous week with the stomach flu. He said he became ill after eating four pieces of candy on Halloween. The man then smoked some marijuana and felt better. He said he did not suffer severe headaches and shaky limbs until after he smoked the marijuana. […]
BigCountryHomepage.com [Texas], 3 November 2022
‘We were shocked’: Big sister of South Abilene trick-or-treater describes finding chocolate bar with needle handed out on Halloween
ABILENE, Texas (BigCountryHomepage.com) – An Abilene woman reported finding a needle in a child’s candy bar after trick-or-treating on Halloween Monday. […]
https://brooklyn.news12.com/police-setauket-student-found-blade-inside-halloween-candy-bar
News 12 Brooklyn [NY], 3 November 2022
Police: Setauket student found blade inside Halloween candy bar
Suffolk police say candy received from trick-or-treating was found with a blade inside of it. A 13-year-old girl was trick-or-treating on Halloween and traded candy with her classmates at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School over the past few days. The girl found a blade in a mini 3 Musketeers bar on Thursday. […]
https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/video/2022/11/03/mom-finds-needle-in-halloween-candy/
City News [Winnipeg, Manitoba], 3 November 2022
[Video: When Winnipeg resident Carla Velho “took a bite of a small chocolate bar” one of her children had collected on Halloween, “she became horrified with what she found inside.” Velho: “It looked to have been a sewing needle.”]
New Westminster Record [BC], 4 November 2022
New West police investigate report of sharp object in child's Halloween candy
The New Westminster Police Department is asking parents to carefully check their children’s Halloween candy after a resident reported finding a [razor blade] in a peanut butter cup. […]
The Calgary Herald, [Alberta], 4 November 2022
Needle reported in Halloween candy in northwest Calgary, police say
Police have issued a warning to families in northwest Calgary over a potential case of candy tampering on Halloween. The Calgary Police Service said it received a report from a woman on Thursday that she found a sewing needle in the wrapping of a chocolate bar her child received while trick or treating. The child did not eat the chocolate and was not harmed. […]
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-family-says-a-needle-was-found-in-daughters-halloween-candy
WAGA-TV [GA], 5 November 2022
Georgia family says a needle was found in daughter's Halloween candy
CANTON, Ga. - A metro Atlanta police department is warning parents about a scary and potentially dangerous surprise that was found in Halloween candy. The Canton Police Department say families in the Great Sky neighborhood found sewing needles jabbed into candy bars picked up on Halloween. […]
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/halloween-candy-cannabis-5-year-old-d9vd2g5z
Newsday [Long Island, NY], 8 November 2022
5-year-old Shirley boy hospitalized after eating cannabis-laced gummies, cops say
A 5-year-old Shirley boy was hospitalized Tuesday after eating cannabis-infused gummies that he received while trick-or-treating on Halloween, Suffolk County police said. The candy, labeled "Medicated Starburst Gummies," was labeled as containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, although with similar packaging and branding as the popular fruit-flavored soft taffy treat, authorities said. […] Suffolk police believe it was an isolated incident. But it comes five days after a 13-year-old Stony Brook middle schooler tore up a mini 3 Musketeers bar collected on Halloween and found a double-sided razor blade tucked inside, police said. […]
Park Ridge Herald-Advocate [IL], 8 November 2022
Needle found in child’s Halloween candy from Park Ridge trick-or-treating
Park Ridge Police are investigating an incident of a child biting into a piece of Halloween candy that contained a needle, according to a department announcement Tuesday morning. […]
Royal Canadian Mounted Police | 9 November 2022
Lewisporte RCMP urges parents to check Halloween treats after pin found in chocolate bar
Lewisporte RCMP is urging parents to check all Halloween treats received while trick or treating this year following the report of a small metal pin found inside a chocolate bar. On Monday afternoon, police received a call from Lewisporte Academy informing them of the incident. A student bit into a chocolate bar and discovered a small metal pin inside. The pin stuck into the child's mouth and was safely removed. […]
Mountain View Today [Olds, Alberta], 17 November 2022
Follow-up testing on Halloween candy in Rocky Mountain House not positive for fentanyl
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE – A suspicious substance discovered by concerned parents in their children's Halloween haul and subsequently handed over to police has following initial testing that indicated the possible presence of fentanyl been determined not to contain any controlled substances. […]
https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/crime/2022/11/22/oconee-blotter-needle-found-halloween-candy-birds-vandalize-car-athens-georgia-area-crime/10729893002/
https://archive.ph/MgooN#selection-507.0-507.285
Online Athens [GA], 22 November 2022
Oconee Blotter: Man finds something dirty on his car, calls cops
Wayne Ford
Athens Banner-Herald
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents: […] DEADLY TRICK: On Nov. 2, Deputy Jonny Richards met with a 53-year-old Bishop woman who said her 13-year-old daughter had found a 2-inch sewing needle inserted in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. She said her daughter had gone trick or treating during Halloween night in their neighborhood. […]
