Magnet test reveals metal objects in Waukegan child's Halloween candy
Police are investigating after a mother found needles, wire, and a nail inside chocolate bars her daughter collected during Saturday's citywide event.
By Lina Lewis ·
A magnetic check of her trick-or-treat haul revealed metal objects inside chocolate candy for a nine-year-old girl in Waukegan.
Waukegan Police responded to a home in the 3000 block of Grandville Avenue around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 1. Deputy Chief Craig Neal said the mother reported that her daughter had placed a magnet inside her candy bag to detect potential tampering. The girl noticed the magnet sticking to several pieces of chocolate when the family returned home. Upon opening the wrappers, the mother found sewing needles, bobby pins, copper wire, plastic, and a gold nail inside the candy.
The family had trick-or-treated in the area of Flossmoor, Leith, and Ridgeland Avenues, as well as near Waukegan High School on Brookside Avenue. They also visited homes on Leith Avenue, Lynn Terrace, and Flossmoor Avenue. Neal stated that the family could not determine which specific house handed out the tampered candy. Officers collected the candy and the foreign objects as evidence but did not identify any suspect leads as of Wednesday morning.
The discovery triggered a public safety notice from the department on Saturday evening. Police warned parents to inspect all candy before children ate it and to discard any items that appeared tampered with. The notice described the objects as metal hairpins and wire found inside wrapped, unopened candy. The city's annual trick-or-treating event had been held from 2 to 5 p.m. that day. No other similar incidents have been reported to the Waukegan Police Department.
Police are not releasing information on the specific candy brands or whether the wrappers showed signs of tampering. The case is under investigation by the Criminal Investigations Division and remains open. In a similar incident in Huntley, McHenry County, in November 2019, a report of a needle in a Kit Kat bar was later deemed fabricated. Authorities in Waukegan have asked anyone with information to call 847-360-9000.
