JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man rushed to an emergency room after getting stuck by what appeared to be a drug needle.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, told News4Jax he was taking trash out to a dumpster Friday afternoon in the area of J. Turner Butler Boulevard and Philips Highway. He noticed a pillowcase and other garbage around the dumpster, and he decided to pick it up.
The man said the needle was inside the pillow case.
"I grabbed it from the bottom and everything spilled out, so I went to pick it up and put it back in the dumpster and there was a needle in a plastic bag and it just poked me in my hand," the man said.
The needle wasn't the only thing he said he found in the pillow case.
"Orange needle caps, drug paraphernalia, dope pipes and women's clothes," he said.
The man said he's taking medication. He's hoping the incident doesn't lead to long-term health issues.
In an unrelated story, a veteran told News4Jax he stepped on a syringe at a hotel in Jacksonville Beach.