By Michael Benavides
Staff Writer
JACKSON – Police officers administered the opioid antidote Narcan to a young man who was found unresponsive at a Jackson home and who was believed to have overdosed on drugs.
At 1:03 a.m. Jan. 10, officers Arthur Salisbury and Mitch Kafton responded to a home to investigate a reported overdose. Upon arrival, the officers found a 23-year-old man who was not breathing. Salisbury administered one dose of Narcan to the man, according to police.
In the interim, personnel from the Jackson First Aid Squad arrived at the home and administered a second dose of Narcan to the man, police said.
Shortly after receiving the second dose, the man regained consciousness and was transported to a hospital. According to police, a used hypodermic needle, and empty and full heroin wax folds were recovered at the residence.
Narcan, also known as naloxone, can be administered through a person’s nasal passages in spray form. The drug can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Jackson police officers carry the antidote with them at all times, according to Sgt. Chris Parise.
One week after the incident in Jackson and one week after highlighting the drug problem in New Jersey in his State of the State address, Gov. Chris Christie signed an Executive Order declaring opioid drug abuse a public health crisis.
“We must take aggressive action to get this insidious crisis under control, so I am calling together all resources of state government in order to save lives,” Christie said. “The human cost of this epidemic is incalculable, impacting every part of life in New Jersey, affecting our education system, our health care system, public safety and the financial security of every person it touches.”
According to a press release from governor’s office, the Executive Order creates the Governor’s Task Force on Drug Abuse Control, which “will review current statutes and regulations that present barriers to individuals suffering from addiction from receiving treatment and make recommendations to rescind or amend any such statutes or regulations to remove those barriers.”
According to the press release, among other directives, the governor is directing Acting Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington to develop a new, comprehensive grade-specific curriculum to educate children about the dangers of substance abuse.
In other incidents reported by Jackson police:
- At 11:46 a.m. Jan. 7, Officer Ernest Thomason responded to a motor vehicle crash involving a vehicle which struck a utility pole on Toms River Road (Route 571). Police said the driver, Frank Farrence, 56, of Brick Township, was administered psychophysical tests and subsequently charged with driving while intoxicated.
- At 6:18 a.m. Jan. 9, Officer Michael Morizio and Officer Ryan Donnelly responded to a residence to investigate a report of a dispute between a father and his son. Police said the teenager was refusing to go to school and causing a disturbance in the home. When the officers attempted to speak with the juvenile, he spit at and hit one officer. The juvenile was arrested and charged with throwing bodily fluids at a law enforcement officer, which is deemed to be aggravated assault.
- At 11:27 a.m. Jan. 12, Officer Cassie DeLaTorre responded to a Jackson supermarket to investigate a report of an older male who was unconscious and not breathing. DeLaTorre administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the man, who was transported to a hospital. Police said the patient survived and was eventually released from the hospital. Assisting at the scene were Quality First Aid and MONOC paramedics.