Needle inserted through closed wrapper
Investigators believe the needle was inserted through the bar's closed packaging, according to a statement from the Trier police directorate distributed by news aktuell. Police urged people to examine wrappers closely, warning that even tiny punctures could be signs of tampering.
The Hermeskeil investigation remains open. Police said their findings so far pointed to an increasing number of similar incidents across Germany.
Reports across Germany and Austria
By November 2, 2026, Halloween candy containing needles, nails or other metal objects had been reported in most German states, according to NDR. The affected states included Lower Saxony, Bremen, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony-Anhalt, North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Thuringia. Austria also reported cases in three states, according to the APA news agency, citing the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office.
In Bremervörde, in Lower Saxony's Rotenburg district, a nine-year-old girl suffered a tongue injury while eating a chocolate bar collected on Halloween. Police said an examination afterward revealed a sewing needle at least five centimeters long inside the bar.
A separate report involved a store-bought bar rather than Halloween candy. A woman in Garbsen, near Hanover, told police she bought a chocolate bar at Lidl on Friday, October 30, 2026, and discovered a sewing needle inside that evening. Police said neither the wrapper nor the bar showed signs of tampering. Lidl said it was taking the report very seriously and was in contact with investigators and suppliers.
As of November 2, police were investigating most cases on suspicion of attempted dangerous bodily harm, with no leads on suspects. NDR reported that police directorates were handling their investigations independently; neither the state criminal police offices nor the Federal Criminal Police Office considered itself responsible.
Such discoveries have also occurred in previous years. NDR reported that a mother in Kiel found razor blades in her children's Halloween candy in 2025.
Warning signs, health risks and reporting
Tampering may not be immediately visible. Essen police said needles in a chocolate bar there had been inserted from the side, leaving holes that were difficult to spot at first glance. Police asked people to report suspicious candy and take it to a police station for fingerprint examination, according to tagesschau.de.
Pediatrician Claudio Finetti of Elisabeth Hospital in Essen told tagesschau.de that an object lodged in a child's throat could damage the esophagus and cause life-threatening injuries. He also said needles or other foreign objects can sometimes be swallowed unnoticed and later pass without problems.
Tagesschau.de also cited a newspaper report about a father in the United States who used a magnet to check his children's collected candy for metal objects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published tips for parents and children in response to similar cases in the past.
Trier police asked anyone who finds suspicious or tampered candy, or has information about similar incidents, to contact police promptly. The Hermeskeil police station can be reached at 06503 9151-0.
