A disturbing incident unfolded at a summer day camp in New Jersey, where 13 children fell ill after apparently sharing a chocolate bar containing psychedelic mushrooms. The incident occurred at the YMCA in East Orange on Thursday morning, when a counselor saw a child passing out what appeared to be candy to fellow campers. According to reports, one child complained about not feeling well shortly after, followed by 12 others.
Local mom Cynthia Cunningham said she received a call from the camp, stating that her 12-year-old daughter was among those who were sickened. Upon arrival at the YMCA, Cunningham described the scene as chaotic, with the affected children looking like ‘zombies.’ Cunningham said her daughter told her she thought she was eating an ordinary piece of chocolate but ‘the taste was off and she spit it out.’ Cunningham also described her daughter’s condition, saying her eyes were ‘low and droopy’ and she was ‘keeling over’ as Cunningham drove her to a hospital to be checked out. Police and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene shortly after 11 a.m.
Thursday and determined the children were all in stable condition, with one transported to a hospital due to a pre-existing condition. A suspect was reportedly identified, but no charges were filed, with East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi saying that detectives were investigating to determine whether any crimes were committed. The YMCA released a statement saying that it prohibits campers from sharing food and that when staffers saw children ‘having an adverse reaction to the substance, we immediately enacted our emergency protocols, contacting emergency services, parents and the police.’
