‘Batman’ heroin linked to overdose spike
CAMDEN - Authorities are warning that Camden appears to be ground zero for a spike in recent heroin overdoses.
Many of the overdoses apparently occurred when people used free samples of heroin labeled with a “Batman” stamp, according to an alert issued Thursday by the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center.
None of the reported overdoses was fatal, according to the alert.
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Cooper University Health Care responded to 23 heroin overdoses between Tuesday and Thursday, and the Camden County Police Department responded to six others on Tuesday and Wednesday, authorities said.
The Batman heroin is so potentially dangerous, according to the alert, that emergency medical service personnel are advising that extra Narcan may be needed to reverse overdoses.
Authorities said they believe Batman-stamped heroin has been sold over the past two weeks in Camden.
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But the problem may spread to other parts of New Jersey because heroin users traditionally have traveled to Camden from other areas to buy drugs, according to the alert.
Over the past two months, authorities have seized Batman-stamped heroin in Camden, Runnemede, Mount Ephraim, Gloucester City, Williamstown, Voorhees and Galloway.
State authorities said the latest problems appear to be related to a rash of overdoses that occurred last November in Camden. In that incident, 10 people survived overdoses in a six-hour period after receiving samples of heroin stamped “Don’t Panic” that contained fentanyl, a potent opioid.