Thirteen Children Fall Ill at Summer Camp After Eating Mushroom-Laced Edibles

More than a dozen children reportedly became sick and appeared “like zombies” after sharing a chocolate bar believed to contain psychedelic mushrooms at a New Jersey summer day camp.

The alarming incident unfolded Thursday morning at the YMCA in East Orange after a counselor noticed one camper passing around what appeared to be candy, according to CBS News.

One child soon complained of feeling ill, followed by 12 others.

Cynthia Cunningham said she received a call from the camp informing her that her 12-year-old daughter was among the children affected.

“When I arrived to the YMCA, it was about 13 children. They, for lack of better words, they looked like zombies,” Cunningham told CBS News.

Her daughter reportedly believed she was eating an ordinary piece of chocolate but quickly realized something was wrong.

“The taste was off and she spit it out,” Cunningham said.

The mother said her daughter’s eyes appeared “low and droopy” and that she was “keeling over” as Cunningham drove her to a hospital for evaluation.

Police officers and emergency medical crews arrived at the YMCA shortly after 11 a.m. and determined that all of the children were in stable condition, according to WABC.

One child was taken to a hospital because of a pre-existing medical condition.

Authorities reportedly identified a suspect, but no charges had been filed as of the latest update.

East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi said detectives were investigating how the camper obtained the chocolate and whether any crime had been committed.

The YMCA said in a statement that campers are prohibited from sharing food.

“When staffers saw children having an adverse reaction to the substance, we immediately enacted our emergency protocols, contacting emergency services, parents and the police,” the organization said.

An East Orange police dispatcher told The Independent on Saturday that no one was available to provide an update on the investigation. A YMCA representative also did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

So-called magic mushrooms contain psilocybin, a hallucinogenic substance that can alter a person’s mood, perception and behavior.

The incident comes months after then-New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation authorizing $6 million for a pilot program studying the use of psilocybin to treat conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression.

Recreational psilocybin use remains illegal under federal law. The substance is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, a category reserved for drugs considered to have no accepted medical use under federal law and a high potential for abuse.