Police: Man lying on Lacey sidewalk had heroin

LACEY - A man found unconscious on a sidewalk in front of a diner in Lacey was charged with heroin possession.

Lacey Police Officer Evan Androcy went to the Lacey Diner at 530 Lacey Road in the Forked River section about 12:30 p.m. Oct. 15.

The unconscious man, Landon S. Ruutikainen, 25, of Toms River, was taken to the Lacey Police Department and charged with possession of heroin and possession of a hypodermic syringe.

Police did not say how he was revived.

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Ruutikainen was released after receiving a criminal summons.

Ocean County is in the midst of a new and deadly phase of the heroin epidemic. That's despite efforts like the use of naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote, and recovery coaches being called in to talk overdose victims into seeking treatment.

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Underlying a frightening surge in the number of drug deaths in the county is the growing use of fentanyl in heroin decks. A few grains too many can kill heroin users. And naloxone is much less effective on an overdose victim who has fentanyl in their bloodstream.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said in September he expects the number of overdose deaths in the county to rise by more than 35 percent this year - triple the number there were in 2012.

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Ken Serrano: 732-643-4029; kserrano@gannettnj.com