Ocean police save first overdose victim with Narcan
44-year-old woman was unconscious when police arrived on the scene
Just two days after receiving Narcan kits, Ocean Township Police report they have already saved a woman’s life.
Police responded to a reported overdose at an address in the Wayside section of the Township Thursday at approximately 8:09 p.m. where they found a 44-year-old woman unresponsive in the basement of the home, according to a news release from Ocean Township police.
Witnesses at the scene allegedly told police they believed the woman had taken heroin before she was found unconscious.
Officers administered two doses of the nasal spray form of Narcan to revive the woman. The drug reverses the effects of opioid overdoses in the human body. She was responsive and talking to officers before the was transferred by Wanamassa First Aid Squad and MonOc paramedics to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment.
“This is great news. The intention of deploying Naloxone with law enforcement officers is to save lives and that is exactly what is happening,” said Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni in a release issued by the prosecutor’s office.
Emergency personnel credit the use of Narcan for saving the woman’s life. It is the first deployment of Narcan by Ocean police since the drug was distributed to officers on Tuesday.
“We cannot reiterate enough: The epidemic of prescription opiates and heroin deaths is a staggering statistic that every person has to concern themselves with today. Naloxone is just one step in the right direction. It’s not a cure-all, it just buys time to save lives and hopefully to get them treatment. We can only hope with all the available resources this woman will get the treatment she needs,” First Assistant Prosecutor Marc C. LeMieux said in the release.
Patrolmen Zachary Rhein, Kevin Redmond and Randy Slawsky were the responding officers.
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