Needle, white powder found at South Boston playground
SOUTH BOSTON - Boston Police are testing a white powder that was found in the middle of the playground at Medal of Honor Park in South Boston Wednesday afternoon.
It's supposed to be a safe space for Southie kids, but now concerned parents are on alert after two bags with white powder, an orange needle cap and a glove were found in the middle of the gated playground.
"This is supposed to be a safe spot for them and today, it wasn't," said Candice Dolor, the nanny who made the discovery.
Dolor was walking with a 15-month-old baby boy when she looked down and noticed the sketchy items next to them. Lots of kids were playing in the park at the time.
"I looked down and there were two baggies with powdered substance in it, so I called my fellow nanny friends over just to make sure I wasn't over thinking it and I said what does this look like to you, and they said, 'oh my God,'" said Dolor.
Not knowing what it was, Dolor and other nannies told everyone to stand back and quickly called Boston Police. News of the discovery spread to concerned parents and grandparents.
"I did reach out to the City of Boston and the police department and just all I ask is to keep this Medal of Honor Park safe for our children," said concerned parent and grandparent Susan Foley.
Police say they arrived and recovered a needle, a glove and a bag that was labeled 'Vitamin C ascorbic acid powder,' but they're testing the substance to see what it was.
A Boston Police officer stayed at the park for quite some time after the incident.
Still parents say they feel violated that someone would leave white powder and a needle in a playground and in this day age, it's better to be safe than sorry.
"It's up to us and the City of Boston to keep it so that it's safe for our children to come and not to worry about paraphernalia that was left here that's really dangerous," said Foley.
From now on, parents say they're going to be extra vigilant when they're in any park.
"Be aware of your surroundings," said Dolor. "Now it's not just somebody walking around you that you have to be aware of, you have to be aware of what's on the ground, especially with little kids that touch everything."