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Wayne police made the new year's first save in the county on Jan. 3 when two doses of Narcan revived a 22-year-old heroin user from Parsippany, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Wayne Police Chief James Clarkesa .
The woman went from "unresponsive and breathing slowly" to "responsive and alert" before being turned over to local EMTs, they said. Officers also seized four hypodermic needles.
Several hours later, Prospect Park police revived a 27-year-old Ringwood man whom they found "unresponsive, breathing slowly, displaying blue lips, and [with] a slow pulse," said Valdes and Prospect Park Police Chief Charbel Atie.
A single dose of Narcan brought him around, they said.
One dose also revived a 33-year-old Bergenfield man who overdosed in Paterson on Jan. 5, Valdes and Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said.
Having police carry and administer Narcan, which can temporarily reverse the effects of an opiate-related overdose, makes sense because they're always the first responders to a scene -- and time is critical in such cases, authorities said.
They warn, however, that Narcan isn't a cure and shouldn't give anyone a false sense of security. Victims still require immediate medical attention.
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