UNKNOWN DRUG IS BLAMED IN 2 DEATHS

Police yesterday were trying to trace the source of a heroinlike drug
that killed two Roxborough men over the weekend, investigators said.
Joseph Brown, 41, of the 300 block of Dupont Street, and Joseph Alvin,
48, of the 6000 block of Ridge Avenue, were found Saturday afternoon,
each in his own home, Detective Sgt. Winton Singletary said.

The men died after taking a drug they believed was heroin, Singletary
said. The powdery substance came in packets decorated with a picture
of a clock, its face stamped with the words "Full Time."

"We don't know if it's heroin," Singletary said. Police are trying to
identify the substance through toxicology tests, which could take
weeks. No one else had died or fallen ill from the drug, police said
yesterday. Police believe drugs also may have contributed to the death
of a man who crashed his sport utility vehicle in the area hours
before the men were found dead Saturday.

The driver, Mark Heller, 44, of the 300 block of South 24th Street,
overturned his Mitsubishi Montero at Lyceum and Manayunk Avenues. He
was pronounced dead at the scene. A plastic bag of a powdery substance
that could have been heroin or cocaine was found in the vehicle,
police said. Toxicology tests were being performed.

There was no indication that Heller used the "Full Time" drug,
investigators said. Police were not sure how many other people, if
any, had purchased it.

"We're trying to ascertain where they bought it," Singletary said. "It
appears they got it from the same individual." He said one of the men
"came into some money, and I guess he bought this for him and his buddy."

Brown's sister-in-law, Sharon Crompton, said Brown had recently
inherited some money from his late mother. He was to have started a
new job today, she said.

"He was a good guy," said Crompton, who answered the telephone
yesterday at Brown's house, where relatives had gathered. "A hard
worker. He wouldn't hurt anyone."

Brown and Alvin were found after a friend or family member called the
Fifth Police District about 2 p.m. Saturday, Singletary said. He said
it was unclear when they took the drug.

In the earlier fatal accident, Heller hit several objects and resumed
driving several times before the final crash.

A preliminary report filed by the Accident Investigation Division gave
this account: Heller was driving west on Lyceum Avenue shortly before
4 a.m. when he lost control of the vehicle at the intersection with
Manayunk Avenue.

He crossed the street and hit some concrete steps, backed up, and hit
a car traveling behind him. Then he struck a pole, a parked vehicle
and another pole. The vehicle flipped, landing on the driver's side.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry