Acid Attack on Playground Slides Injures Two Children

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Two children sustained injuries resembling burns after playing on playground slides that had been deliberately doused with acid at a park in Massachusetts, according to local authorities.

Upon receiving a report about a suspicious substance on the playground equipment at Bliss Park in Longmeadow, the fire department and police promptly arrived at the scene on Sunday morning. Simultaneously, firefighters and emergency medical technicians responded to a nearby residence after receiving a report of two children who had just left the park and were suffering from burns.

Ashley Thielen, the mother of the injured children, shared her account with Western Mass News in Springfield. She stated, “I allowed the kids to go and play. I didn’t notice any liquid pooling at the bottom of the slide. I simply assumed it was rainwater. I didn’t think much of it until my one-year-old began crying. That’s when I realized the liquid they had been in contact with was not water.”

Thielen explained that her children only experienced superficial blisters and swelling on their skin, thanks to the acid. However, the situation could have been far worse. She remarked, “A significant amount of the acid had accumulated at the bottom of the slide. I was surprised my child didn’t start playing in it.”

Investigations revealed that an individual or group had broken into a storage room at the park’s swimming pool, where chemicals are kept, and stolen muriatic acid. This particular acid is commonly used for cleaning purposes or to maintain a swimming pool’s pH balance. The culprits proceeded to pour the acid onto three slides at the playground.

Authorities collected evidence from the scene and sent it to the state crime lab for forensic analysis.

No arrests have been made thus far; however, authorities suspect that the perpetrator(s) may have also suffered acid burns during the incident.

“We believe the individuals responsible may have sustained acid burns on their hands or arms, and their clothing might exhibit signs of degradation due to contact with the acid,” stated the fire department in Longmeadow, a city located next to Springfield in western Massachusetts. They urged the public to notify the Longmeadow police if they encounter individuals with recent burns on their hands or arms or notice clothing that appears to have been affected by burns.

While the hazardous materials have been cleaned up, the playground remains fenced off as a precautionary measure.

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• Longmeadow fire department statement on the incident