Life-Saving Use of Naloxone on 19-year-old Lanoka Harbor Resident – At approximately 6 p.m. on Monday, May 5, 2014, Lacey Township Police Officers Dimitri Tsarnas and Evan Androcy responded to a suspected Heroin overdose incident at a Lanoka Harbor residence involving a 19-year-old male who resides in Lanoka Harbor. Upon the arrival of the officers, they found the teen to be unresponsive with very shallow breathing. Officer Dimitri Tsarnas needed to utilize two separate Naloxone kits before the teen regained responsiveness. A volunteer crew from the Lanoka Harbor First Aid Squad arrived and administered oxygen with assisted breathing to allow the medication to have the desired effect. The Lanoka Harbor First Aid Squad transported the patient to the Community Medical Center for further treatment.
The medication Naloxone is administered to overdose victims pursuant to the Overdose Prevention Act of 2013 (N.J.S.A. 24:6J-1 et seq.). The Overdose Prevention Act is the same law that prohibits law enforcement from arresting or charging the person who overdoses. Both the person who calls for medical assistance as well as the patient are protected from arrest, charge, prosecution, or conviction for the possession or use of the drugs. This Naloxone save is the second such incident in Lacey Township within the past two weeks.