A teenager admitted he put 11 needles into groceries at the Giant Food Store where he worked in Lehigh County, authorities said.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said the teen confessed to the allegations Thursday and his case was disposed of in Lehigh County Juvenile Court. The teen in April was charged with three counts of reckless endangerment and one count of criminal mischief.
Martin declined to release further details because the defendant is a juvenile, according to a news release.
Pennsylvania State Police were called on April 19 to the Giant Food Store at 7150 Hamilton Boulevard in Lower Macungie Township to investigate alleged food tampering. Police said customers found 11 sewing needles in their groceries, then returned the items to the store.
Needles were found in bagged vegetables, Tastykakes, bread rolls and pouches of tuna, the police said. Surveillance video shows the teen placing the needles into the items, police had said.
During the investigation, Giant removed some food items from shelves in case they had been tampered with. The store also notified customers who purchased the products suspected of having been tampered with.
No one was hurt by the needles, Martin’s news release says.
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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
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