Student finds syringe outside Lynn school, uses it

LYNN, Mass. -- An elementary student found a syringe outside of school and used it in Lynn.

“I was frightened. I don’t feel safe anymore sending him to school,” said Madeline Hernandez.

Madeline Hernandez’s 7-year-old Manuel came home from school Thursday with some pretty disturbing news.

Manuel says another 2nd grader in his class did his own special show-and-tell, displaying a hypodermic needle that he had found somewhere.

“He told the whole class, ‘Who wants a flu shot?’” said Manuel Ventura, student. “And everyone said, ‘No.’”

But as it turns out one little boy did agree to get an injection with the needle.

“It was not found in the schoolyard, but he brought it to school and apparently pretended to give his friend a flu shot with it,” said Dr. Catherine Latham, Lynn Superintendent of Schools.

Latham says the boy who brought the needle into school also got stuck it. Manuel insisted to his mom that he did not get stuck with it, but she plans to have him tested for HIV and hepatitis.

“I guess everybody is gonna have to get tested just to be on the safe side,” said Madeline Hernandez.

Hernandez is the one who alerted the school last Friday. Lynn police investigated and recovered the needle. The boy who had found it had tossed it away in the trash at a friend’s house.

Both boys who got stuck will be getting blood tests and are not in any trouble.

On Tuesday, the school safety officer showed all students examples of things they shouldn’t touch, such as guns, knives and needles.

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