On Wednesday, five women experienced a drug overdose, most likely caused by fentanyl, at a New Jersey mall.
One woman remains in serious condition, according to the police. Emergency responders were dispatched to The Shops at Riverside mall after the women were discovered unconscious outside a car in the parking garage.
Hackensack Police Director Ray Guidetti commented on the incident, stating that similar cases have been occurring across the country. He emphasized that such incidents should be considered as poisonings rather than overdoses.
The upscale mall in Hackensack, The Shops at Riverside, was the scene of the emergency on Wednesday evening.
The five women were found unconscious in the parking garage after a 911 call alerted authorities. The women had likely overdosed on fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.
Police, firefighters, and EMS personnel arrived at the scene and administered Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, as well as performing CPR. All five women were successfully revived.
Four of the victims were transported to the hospital, while one declined medical assistance on site.
At this time, it remains unclear how the women ingested the substance, and authorities have not ruled out the possibility that they were unaware of what they had consumed.
Hackensack Police Director Ray Guidetti confirmed that all five women were employees at the mall.