N.J. Kindergartener Hospitalized After Heroin Found In Lunchbox: Cops

A New Jersey kindergartener was hospitalized this week after 30 packets of heroin were found in his lunchbox, police said.

The heroin was found when the 5-year-old boy was seen playing with a small white object on Monday that his teacher thought was a candy wrapper, according to NJ.com.

The boy continued playing with it, but the teacher from the International Academy of Trenton Charter School's Bellevue Avenue campus remained curious, checked it out and discovered it was a packet of heroin, according to the report.

Related: 30 N.J. Towns With The Most Heroin Abuse, New Data Says

The teacher then checked the boy's bag and lunchbox and found 29 more packets of heroin. The boy tested negative for opioids after he was taken to Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell for evaluation, according to the report.

Charges are likely once police determine how the child got the drugs. Efforts to obtain comment from school officials were not successful.

Police did not say if the boy, who was not identified, has been reunited with his parents or if he is in the custody of child welfare officials. Police also wouldn’t say whether they interviewed the boy’s parents, according to The Trentonian.

Patch file photo