By Kevin Coughlin
A Morris Township teenager will live to see another Christmas, thanks to swift action by a pair of policemen.
Officers Tim Neri and Justin Crowell will receive lifesaving awards at the Township Committee meeting on Dec. 21, 2016, for rescuing a 19-year-old male who they found face down and unconscious on his floor earlier this month.
“Patrolman Crowell, a member of the Departments Emergency Services Unit (ESU) and a certified EMT, assessed the victim and determined the medical condition was the result of an apparent opiate (heroin) overdose,” Police Chief John McGuinness said in a statement.
“Ptl. Crowell administered NARCAN, while Ptl. Neri provided oxygen to the victim. Within a short period of time the NARCAN and oxygen reversed the life threatening condition,” the chief said.
NARCAN is a drug that can reverse an overdose if administered immediately.
Six Township officers were certified as EMTs in 2016, thanks to a training grant from Atlantic Health Systems, the chief said. Responsibilities of this new team include responding to medical emergencies in the Township.
Crowell and Neri responded to this one at 11:35 pm on Dec. 12, 2016.
Police are withholding the name and address of the overdose victim to protect his family’s privacy, the chief said.
