GLO. TWP MAN DIES OF LETHAL HEROIN

CAMDEN -- One man died and more than two dozen people were
hospitalized after they apparently bought tainted drugs on city
streets, officials said Friday.

It was the second wave of adverse drug reactions in South Jersey this
year, noted the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. Eight people died
and dozens were hospitalized after apparent heroin overdoses in April.

Friday's victims "were looking for heroin," said Bill Shralow, a
spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

He said a 30-year-old man was found dead of an apparent overdose in
his Gloucester Township home about 8:20 p.m. The Blackwood man was
thought to have died during the afternoon.

Another victim, who collapsed in Camden, was in critical condition at
Cooper University Hospital. Incidents also were reported in
Gloucester City and Pennsauken, Shralow said.

Law enforcement officials flooded an eight-block area along Broadway
in Camden where the tainted drugs were believed to have been sold.

They urged would-be buyers to stop using drugs.

"For addicts and recreational users alike, the stakes could not be
higher," said James Lynch, the county's acting prosecutor. "They have
to understand that their next dose of heroin could be their last."

Police made two drug-related arrests along Broadway between Mickle
Boulevard and Pine Street. One man was accused of selling drugs;
another was suspected of being a buyer.

The tainted drugs triggered breathing problems and seizures, said
Lynch. Most victims were treated at Cooper University Hospital, which
is near the area of suspected drug sales.

Authorities continue to investigate April's rash of drug fatalities,
but no one has been charged with selling the fatal doses.

In New Jersey, someone who sells drugs that result in death can be
charged with causing a drug-induced death, a first-degree crime. They
could also face homicide charges, Lynch said.

Samples submitted from several nonfatal reactions in April contained
fentanyl, a powerful pain killer, he said. Blood test results from
the fatal cases are not yet available.