On October 31st, 2024, at around 7:00 PM, a group of three teens approached a house in a development in Morganville, New Jersey. Masked and hooded, the teens stepped up to the porch and began taking candy from the bowl that was sitting there. A few seconds passed, and two of the teens had taken almost all of the candy and started to walk away. The final teen, who wore a jersey, looked up quickly at the front door and, in one sweep, grabbed the basket and raced away from the house with the others.

This incident occurred not just to this unfortunate house, but to at least two other homes in the same development at around the same time: both candy and bowl stolen by the same group of teens. Thankfully, surveillance cameras and doorbell cameras were able to record these thefts, but the teens wore masks, putting an end to any attempts at facial identification. The true scope of the Halloween larceny is not yet clear, but it is unquestionably criminal and unfortunately not the first of its kind.

A similar event happened in Staten Island, New York, in 2017: a couple left their house with a bowl of candy set out in front, returning several hours later to find it missing. After checking their surveillance cameras, they ascertained that a group of kids took the candy and the candy bowl at about 6:15 PM. The couple was pained to see this sort of thievery, as they had put their trust in the goodness of the trick-or-treaters and ended up losing at least $70 worth of candy. Other families in the area also complained of kids stealing their candy, with some even losing their trust in kids entirely.

The incidents in New Jersey and New York are just samples of an ever-growing collection: the theft of candy and candy baskets has occurred throughout the country and for a considerable number of years prior to this year’s incidents. As such behavior is increasing, many are turning their backs on Halloween and the innocence of children, while others have stopped to question the motives behind the activity. Do the kids steal for practical purposes such as money, or to prove their superiority over others? For the sheer thrill of it? For a dare, a challenge? The reasons behind the robberies are multifarious and give an opportunity to speculate on the uncertain, frightening future of Halloween.

External Sources: SILive and WPTV News.