A YOUNG girl has been hospitalised after she bit into a chocolate bar that had a needle hidden in it when she had gone out trick or treating.

The 12-year-old had been out on Halloween in the Chelwood Park area of Northeast Heights in Albuquerque in New Mexico when she tucked into a Three Musketeers bar.

The girl was injured when she was pricked by the needle which injured the roof of her mouth.

Officer Simon Drobik, a Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said: “The main point is to make the city aware this happened.”

“Hopefully, it’s just a stand-alone incident but we want to make sure every family checks their kid’s candy.”

“It's pretty ridiculous. It's very cruel and this child got hurt, so it's very upsetting that that happened.”

Mum Christina Robinson rushed her to the local hospital where she was taken to the emergency room and monitored for infectious diseases.

She has since been released.

Police said the girl was now doing well.

Robinson told police he had seen people in a vehicle at a park handing out chocolate, according to the Albuquerque Journal, but she could not remember what it looked like.

Police said she was unsure if this was the origin of the candy bar in question.

A police report stated: “This seemed strange to her, but she also noted it was not the only car doing this.

“Christina said she and other members of the family immediately began to eat some of the candy from this family group in the car and none reported finding anything out of the ordinary.”

Katie Petts, a local parent, said: “It's so sad how things have gotten that we have to worry about, you know, going to the neighbour’s house for candy. I mean, it's ridiculous.”