06.11.2026 17:40
The investigation into claims that needles and nails were found in candies during and after Halloween in Germany is ongoing. While police stated that in some cases children admitted to having put the dangerous objects into the candies themselves, they are also considering the possibility that the cases could be part of a TikTok trend.
Investigations are ongoing in Germany and Austria into claims of needles and nails in Halloween candy. Police assess that in some cases children admitted to putting dangerous objects in their own candy, and that the incidents may be a social media trend.
EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GIRL ADMITTED
In Germany, local police units are continuing investigations into reports that metal objects were found in candy in at least 8 federal states on Halloween. In some cases, evidence has begun to increase that victims themselves tampered with the candy. According to reports on T-Online, one of Germany's prominent news sources, an investigation into a chocolate bar with a nail placed inside it in the Bavarian city of Neuburg an der Donau was completed after an admission.
In the police investigation, it was stated that the 8-year-old girl reported that she made the claim that there was a nail in her candy because of a social media trend and that she made up the incident. The police investigation had begun when the parents reported that while examining the candy collected on November 1, they found a nail stuck in the side of the chocolate bar.
SHE PUT A NEEDLE IN HER CHOCOLATE
In another case in the state of Bavaria, a child admitted to police that he had put a needle into his chocolate. In the state of Thuringia as well, a 9-year-old girl told police that she herself had put a wooden stick into a chocolate bar.
In the city of Soltau in Germany's state of Lower Saxony, it was reported that an 11-year-old child collected candy on Halloween, and that an investigation was launched after similar claims were shared on social media by a friend of the child's family. Police reported that at the end of the investigation it was determined that the claims had been made up by the child and that there was no danger.
IT MAY BE A SOCIAL MEDIA TREND
Dr. Ursula Gasch, Head of the Institute of Forensic and Criminal Psychology in Tübingen, said in a statement to the German media, "There is a lot of evidence that the perpetrators are young. They are adolescents. They see social networks as a power. They see it as recognition and relieving boredom. These may be the underlying motivations. Because it is a synchronized pattern, it may point to spread through social networks. It doesn't necessarily have to be TikTok; closed chat groups can also be enough," she assessed.
According to Gasch, the reasons driving children to put needles or nails in candy may be a lack of empathy, a desire for power and control, and an attempt to compensate for feelings of powerlessness and inferiority.
"CHILDREN FOLLOWED THE INTERNET TREND"
In Austria, Germany's neighbor, it was stated that investigations are continuing in 21 cases related to similar claims, and that 7 have been solved. In a statement made today by Austria's Ministry of the Interior, it was stated that a total of 28 reports were received across Austria concerning Halloween candy alleged to be fake, of which 8 came from Lower Austria, 9 from Upper Austria, 8 from Styria, 2 from Vienna, and 1 from Salzburg. In the statement, it was said, "A result has been reached in 7 of the 28 intensively conducted criminal investigations, and in those cases, it was determined that the children tampered with the candy themselves after learning about similar incidents on the internet, in traditional media, or on social media."
Warning that such actions should not be seen as harmless jokes, it was said, "Anyone who tampers with candy, deliberately frightens others, or triggers police operations should expect to face criminal consequences depending on the circumstances. In Austria, young people aged 14 and over generally bear criminal responsibility and can be held responsible for their own criminal actions."
Since October 31, numerous reports have been made in Ireland, Denmark, and Norway, as well as Germany and Austria, regarding dangerous objects such as nails and needles found in candy collected by children during Halloween celebrations. Investigations into these claims are continuing in all these countries.