A brother and sister are in a serious but stable condition in hospital after consuming apple juice that medical staff believe may have contained a caustic substance at a buffet restaurant.
The family were dining at Star Buffet and Grill in Pennsylvania, celebrating Richie Zaragoza's tenth birthday with his four-year-old sister Ginaya Mendoza when the younger sibling began to vomit almost immediately after consuming the drink.
Her brother then began to vomit blood, yelling "It burns, it burns."
Lancaster Online reports the pair are in a serious but stable condition in intensive care, after suffering severe burns to the mouth and throat. Federal agencies are currently investigating the matter.
Lt. Robin Weaver of East Lampeter Township Police says a third child also tried the drink but only suffered stomach discomfort, and an adult who sipped the drink but did not swallow it needed medical attention.
"There apparently was some unknown caustic substance in the apple juice," he said.
Richie's father, Richard Zaragoza Sr., says his son has diabetes and cystic fibrosis and that he is still sedated.
"I had to try to talk to him last night through his fingers," he said. "I told him I loved him … and he squeezed my hand twice so he was responsive."
The children will not be able to eat food normally for at least a week. No other patrons of the restaurant were affected.
Steve Weng, who manages the restaurant, told Capital Gazette that the drink was purchased from a local grocery store and poured into disposable cups for the children. He doesn't know how the incident occurred and reported that all due diligence was taken by the restaurant.
Authorities have confirmed that there are no health standard breaches at the restaurant after a full inspection and it remains open for business.
The apple juice was retrieved by authorities and is being tested. While Lt. Weaver says they can't yet tell if there is evidence of foul play, Mr Zaragoza Sr said that methanol has been identified as one of the contaminants.