Seaside Heights patrolman revives heroin overdose victim with Narcan Tuesday morning

A Seaside Heights Police Department patrolman revived a heroin overdose victim early Tuesday morning with Narcan, a nasal spray used as an antidote for opiate drug overdoses, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced today.

Shortly before 3 a.m., Ptl. Erik Hershey responded to the Desert Palm Inn on North Ocean Avenue in Seaside Park, where he administered the spray to a woman in her mid-twenties, authorities said in a release. 

The woman, who “immediately became responsive,” was transported by the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where she is recovering, according to the release.

“Once again a victim of heroin has been given a chance to choose a path away from addiction, and loved ones have been spared the grief of a loved one’s death,” Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato said. “To date there have been 25 overdose deaths, compared to 40 over the same period last year. We’re not ready to claim success, but the downward trend is something we pray can be sustained into the future.”

The Seaside Heights Police Department logged its first Narcan save on April 6, when Ptl. Dan Davis revived a man in his twenties.  

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office developed the Narcan program’s policy and training protocols in early January 2014 and will assist other New Jersey counties with starting their own Narcan programs, authorities said. The first Narcan kits were distributed throughout Ocean County over the past month.

“I commend Ocean County’s municipal police departments for embracing the Narcan program. I’m confident this is the start of a significant number of lives that will be saved by officers armed with this valuable tool,” said Coronato.