Separate incidents in two counties a reminder of heroin's grip in the Garden State.
TRENTON -- State troopers on opposite ends of the state had to deploy anti-overdose drugs to save the lives of two women in separate incidents early Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The officers intervened in heroin overdoses in Sussex and Ocean counties using naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, which reverses the effects of an overdose.
According to the State Police, Troopers Kenneth Brown and Gregg Cerasuolo were first sent to a home in Sussex borough just after midnight to aid an unresponsive woman. When they arrived, they found her on the bathroom floor, barely breathing, with a faint pulse.
Suspecting she had overdosed on heroin, Cerasuolo sprayed Narcan into the woman's nostrils, authorities said.
"Within seconds, the victim regained consciousness and began talking," a State Police spokesman wrote on the division's Facebook page.
An hour later, Sgt. Joseph Marshello and Trooper Hugh Meehan were sent to a home in Eagleswood Township on a similar call and found a woman on the floor in a bedroom, unconscious and not breathing, authorities said.
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After attempting to revive her with a defibrillator and two rounds of CPR, the troopers sprayed Narcan into the woman's nose, State Police said, but it took a third attempt at CPR before the Ocean County woman resumed breathing and eventually regained consciousness.
"Thanks to the life-saving efforts of the troopers, both victims survived their near death experiences," State Police said in their statement.
Use of the drug has become increasingly common for the state's law enforcement officers, who are often the first to arrive when an overdose is reported. Last month, Gov. Chris Christie announced the expansion of a state "recovery coach" program putting drug counselors into emergency rooms to guide overdose victims into treatment.
S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.