{
  "id": "2025-08-18-uc-san-diego-ece-playground-hypodermic-needles",
  "slug": "uc-san-diego-ece-playground-hypodermic-needles-2025-08-18",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of California, San Diego",
    "shortName": "UCSD",
    "state": "CA",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Triton Alert"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-08-18",
    "type": "other",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "resolution": "arrest",
    "headline": "Hypodermic needles found at an Early Childhood Education playground",
    "headlinePublic": "Hypodermic needles found at an Early Childhood Education playground",
    "summary": "UC San Diego Police [issued a community alert bulletin after hypodermic needles were found at the playground at the UC San Diego Early Childhood Education Center in Mesa Housing](https://ucsdcampusnotices.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CN/pages/126648908/Community+Alert+Bulletin+Hypodermic+Needles+Found+at+a+Playground+on+Campus+-+09-02-2025). Reports came in on August 18 and September 2, 2025. EH&S removed needles found at or near the playground and police conducted extra patrols. A [September 8 update](https://ucsdcampusnotices.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CN/pages/126091632/ARREST+MADE+-+UPDATE+to+Community+Alert+Bulletin+Hypodermic+Needles+Found+at+a+Playground+on+Campus+-+09-08-2025) said an arrest had been made.",
    "outcome": "Arrest made. Needles removed by EH&S. Extra patrols."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "2025-09-02",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "UC SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT\n\nSeptember 2, 2025\n\nALL ACADEMICS, STAFF, AND STUDENTS AT UC SAN DIEGO\n\nCommunity Alert Bulletin – Hypodermic Needles Found at a Playground on Campus\n\nOn August 18, 2025 and September 2, 2025, the UC San Diego Police Department received reports of hypodermic needles found at the playground at the UC San Diego Early Childhood Education Center, located within the UC San Diego Mesa Housing community.  The UC San Diego Environmental Health and Safety Department has removed any needles found at or near the playground and the UC San Diego Police Department is conducting extra patrols in the area.\n\nThe source of the needles is unknown at this time.\n\nThese incidents are currently under investigation by the UC San Diego Police Department.\n\nIf you have information that could be helpful in this investigation, please call the UC San Diego Police Department at (858) 534-4357 or submit an online tip at https://police.ucsd.edu/services/anonymous.html.\n\nThe remainder of this message provides general safety information and is not necessarily related to this incident.\n\nSee the UC San Diego Environmental Health and Safety Guide on managing “sharps” in the following link:   https://blink.ucsd.edu/safety/research-lab/hazardous-waste/disposal-guidance/sharps/index.html\n\nIf you find hypodermic needles or other sharps at a playground or other sensitive areas, please notify the UC San Diego Police Department at (858) 534-4357 or submit an online tip at https://police.ucsd.edu/services/anonymous.html.\n\nUniversity of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "confidence": "high",
      "sourceUrl": "https://ucsdcampusnotices.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CN/pages/126648908/Community+Alert+Bulletin+Hypodermic+Needles+Found+at+a+Playground+on+Campus+-+09-02-2025",
      "sourceDescription": "UC San Diego Campus Notices wiki: Community Alert Bulletin hypodermic needles at ECE playground 09-02-2025",
      "annotations": [
        "Dual independent Confluence REST fetch 2026-08-24. CDATA html sha256 4654af03cdcd6d8847b6e2ba1c78f7c5be1b6d0393270a94dd5ba3e027bd5602. Flattened from the embedded UCPD email body. Community Alert Bulletin, not a Clery timely warning. En dash preserved. SPN save-sync HTTP 302.",
        "First report 2025-08-18; second report 2025-09-02. The bulletin is dated September 2.",
        "Distinct from 2025-09-26-uc-san-diego-cmme-room-burglary (later date, CMME burglary) and from 2025-10-03 fire-safety awareness bulletin (parked, not an emergency)."
      ],
      "characterCount": 1607
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "2025-09-08",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "UC SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT\n\nSeptember 8, 2025\n\nALL ACADEMICS, STAFF, AND STUDENTS AT UC SAN DIEGO\n\nARREST MADE - UPDATE to Community Alert Bulletin – Hypodermic Needles Found at a Playground on Campus\n\nUC San Diego Police have made an arrest in connection with cases of hypodermic needles being found at the playground at the UC San Diego Early Childhood Education Center.\n\n****** Original Message ******\n\nOn August 18, 2025 and September 2, 2025, the UC San Diego Police Department received reports of hypodermic needles found at the playground at the UC San Diego Early Childhood Education Center, located within the UC San Diego Mesa Housing community.  The UC San Diego Environmental Health and Safety Department has removed any needles found at or near the playground and the UC San Diego Police Department is conducting extra patrols in the area.\n\nThe source of the needles is unknown at this time.\n\nThese incidents are currently under investigation by the UC San Diego Police Department.\n\nIf you have information that could be helpful in this investigation, please call the UC San Diego Police Department at (858) 534-4357 or submit an online tip at https://police.ucsd.edu/services/anonymous.html.\n\nThe remainder of this message provides general safety information and is not necessarily related to this incident.\n\nSee the UC San Diego Environmental Health and Safety Guide on managing “sharps” in the following link:   https://blink.ucsd.edu/safety/research-lab/hazardous-waste/disposal-guidance/sharps/index.html\n\nIf you find hypodermic needles or other sharps at a playground or other sensitive areas, please notify the UC San Diego Police Department at (858) 534-4357 or submit an online tip at https://police.ucsd.edu/services/anonymous.html.\n\nUniversity of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "confidence": "high",
      "sourceUrl": "https://ucsdcampusnotices.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CN/pages/126091632/ARREST+MADE+-+UPDATE+to+Community+Alert+Bulletin+Hypodermic+Needles+Found+at+a+Playground+on+Campus+-+09-08-2025",
      "sourceDescription": "UC San Diego Campus Notices wiki: ARREST MADE update hypodermic needles ECE playground 09-08-2025",
      "annotations": [
        "Dual independent Confluence REST fetch 2026-08-24. CDATA html sha256 04a0a2b5b4f71d6cd79075e5c832d91cdbd0892d04e72e54f23ffa98dbd7483a. Flattened from the embedded UCPD email body including the quoted original. SPN save-sync HTTP 302.",
        "Arrest made in connection with the ECE playground hypodermic-needle cases."
      ],
      "characterCount": 1835
    }
  ],
  "context": "UC San Diego Police posted both notices on the Campus Notices wiki, linked from [police.ucsd.edu/alerts/warnings.html](https://police.ucsd.edu/alerts/warnings.html).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Hypodermic needles found at the ECE Center playground in Mesa Housing on August 18 and September 2, 2025. EH&S removed needles; extra patrols.",
    "Arrest announced September 8."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Community Alert Bulletin – Hypodermic Needles Found at a Playground on Campus - 09-02-2025",
      "url": "https://ucsdcampusnotices.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CN/pages/126648908/Community+Alert+Bulletin+Hypodermic+Needles+Found+at+a+Playground+on+Campus+-+09-02-2025",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "accessDate": "2026-08-24",
      "archiveUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260824110914/https://ucsdcampusnotices.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CN/pages/126648908/Community+Alert+Bulletin+Hypodermic+Needles+Found+at+a+Playground+on+Campus+-+09-02-2025"
    },
    {
      "title": "ARREST MADE - UPDATE to Community Alert Bulletin – Hypodermic Needles Found at a Playground on Campus - 09-08-2025",
      "url": "https://ucsdcampusnotices.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CN/pages/126091632/ARREST+MADE+-+UPDATE+to+Community+Alert+Bulletin+Hypodermic+Needles+Found+at+a+Playground+on+Campus+-+09-08-2025",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "accessDate": "2026-08-24",
      "archiveUrl": "https://web.archive.org/web/20260824110940/https://ucsdcampusnotices.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CN/pages/126091632/ARREST+MADE+-+UPDATE+to+Community+Alert+Bulletin+Hypodermic+Needles+Found+at+a+Playground+on+Campus+-+09-08-2025"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "public-r1",
    "california",
    "ucsd",
    "advisory",
    "2025"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-08-24",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-08-24",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}