Child finds used needles in Abington
By Maureen Boyle, Enterprise staff writer

ABINGTON — Bloody needles discovered by a child playing on Arch Street may be tied to a heroin addict, renewing worries about the increased use of the drug in the community.

"We are seeing heroin on the rise and this is a concern," Police Chief David Majenski said.
The child was playing on Arch Street Tuesday and discovered a pocketbook in a puddle with the needles inside, he said.

"The hypodermic needles had been used. There was blood residue on them," Majenski said.
Police learned of the discovery when the child — described as being under age 10 — and the child's mother brought the items to the station, he said.

"The child did the right thing. The child contacted the mother, she retrieved the items and brought them to the station," Majenski said.

While there was no identification in the purse, Majenski said authorities believe the needles were used to inject heroin.

"We do have an idea where it came from," he said of the purse. "We do have some information on it and at this point, we are checking on it."
Majenski said the child acted properly by not touching the needles.

"The child was smart. If a younger child found the needles, we don't know what would have happened," he said.