Anti-Anxiety Medicine Found In Halloween Candy, Sayreville Police Say

SAYREVILLE, NJ — Sayreville Police announced Wednesday morning that someone slipped prescription medication into a bag of Halloween candy given out to trick-or-treaters on Tuesday night.

Sayreville Police say the candy bag was given to a 7-year-old child who trick or treated in Park Village, which is a condo development. The pill, a single prescription Clonazepam pill, was not found until later that evening when the child was home and their mother was going through their candy stash.

She was the one who found the pill, said police. She called the Sayreville Police Department immediately and officers went to her home and retrieved the bag, which they are holding as evidence.

The pill was found inside a clear plastic bag, pictured above, along with various pieces of mixed candy. Clonazepam is used to treat seizures, panic disorders and anxiety.

Sayreville Police say they have not identified the specific house that gave the candy, "but we're working on it," said Lt. James Novak, a spokesman for the department. "The child trick or treated in an area of several cul-de-sacs around White Oak Drive in Park Village. At this point, we don't know if this was intentional or an accident, but we're treating it as if it was intentional."

He stressed that parents should always check their child's Halloween candy for exactly reasons such as this.

Sayreville Police announced this Wednesday morning on their Facebook page, and asked the public to widely share their Facebook post.

"We are asking everyone to thoroughly check all Halloween candy your children received, especially if they trick or treated in the area of Park Village," said Sayreville Police. "If you locate a similar bag or have any information to assist our investigation please contact the police department at 732-727-4444 or Det. Pascone at 732-525-5420."