Stretch of South Jersey beach was reopened for beachgoers which was closed when lifeguards found used needles strewn around. Lifeguards noticed dozens of used hypodermic needles, 8 inch long cotton swabs typically used by medical facilities, pill casings and other medical waste strewn around on Avalon beach on Saturday morning as they headed out for duty.

The health department closed the beaches in the Cape May County borough between Ninth Street and 26th Street when the first items were discovered on the beach at about 11 a.m.  

The Office of Emergency Management picked up a total of 150 items but more kept washing up. Lt. Craig Whitehead of the Avalon Beach Patrol said he had seen a few needles or other such medical waste wash ashore earlier but never in such magnitude. "I've been here 20 years," Whitehead said. "I've never seen it."

The beaches were reopened after the Avalon Fire Department, emergency officials and Mayor Martin Pagliughi checked the beach from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. today and found no additional medical material. "This morning it was clear," Whitehead said.

Kevin Scarpa, deputy emergency management coordinator said, "Our primary concern is the needles. We don't know the history of them. We don't know where they came from, and we want to take every step to keep the public safe."

He said the serial numbers on the medical grade needles will enable officers to track their origin. Authorities said the state attorney general's office is investigating the incident. Any medical waste that is encountered by any beachgoer is to be notified to the beach patrol or the Avalon Police Department.