Razor blades were found Sunday in three watermelons at Mr. Z Supermarkets, 401 S. Main St., in Lombard, prompting police to alert consumers who may have bought tampered fruit.
Shortly after 1:30 p.m., an employee at the supermarket discovered three watermelons in the back room with one razor blade pushed into each. All watermelons were immediately pulled from the sales floor, according to a statement from the supermarket.
The shipment of watermelons had been at the store for a week, and a significant number of them had been sold, according to Lombard police Sgt. Jim Glennon. The watermelons were shipped by a Franklin Park distributor that ships food to 300 stores.
One of the watermelons inspected contained a razor blade that had rust on it indicating that it was in the fruit for some time or that someone pushed a rusty razor blade into the watermelon, Glennon said.
Investigators are ruling out no one. “It could be somebody who ships the things. The possibilities are endless,” said Glennon, who added food tampering is a felony.
Once police were notified, they alerted other area departments and the distributor as well as the state Health Department and the FBI.
So far, Lombard police have received no consumer complaints.
Anyone who purchased a watermelon from the store is asked to return it.
