EATONTOWN — Borough police have made their first save using opiate-overdose antidote Narcan.
The drug was administered after police officers responded to a residence on Azalea Drive on a report of an unconscious male subject at 1:57 a.m. July 26, according to Eatontown Police Lt. Kenneth Klienman.
Upon arrival, officers found the 34-yearold man on the living room floor. Police determined that the man, who was breathing, had ingested heroin, according to a press release from the department.
“They have to be breathing for the Narcan to work, since it is a nasal spray,” Klienman said.
Patrolman James Christie administered one dose of Narcan to the victim, who then regained consciousness, according to police. The victim was treated by MONOC paramedics and transported to Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank by the Eatontown First Aid Squad.
“We do what we need to do to protect life,” Klienman said. “After we revive someone with Narcan, then it is up to the health care provider to manage their patient. We handle it like a medical emergency and then we turn them over to the paramedics or first aid, who then hand them over to the hospital. We hope they get the help they need after they are released.”
Based on the provisions of the New Jersey Overdose Prevention Act, police do not arrest the victim of the overdose. Instead, the focus is on getting the person medical attention, he said.
Sgt. David Brown and patrolmen Arthur Ehrmantraut and Christopher Quackenbush aided Patrolman Christie in assisting the victim.
Narcan was initially tested by law enforcement in both Monmouth and Ocean counties as part of a state pilot program in response to what officials have described as a heroin epidemic. In June, Gov. Chris Christie announced that the antidote would be made available to police throughout the state.