PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — The Prince William County Police Department is issuing a warning to residents after three overdoses involving teenagers, including one that resulted in death; the overdoses occurred within a 5-day span.
Police believe the overdoses are possibly linked to the juveniles consuming counterfeit Percocet pills containing Fentanyl.
The first incident happened on Dec. 3 when officers responded to a Manassas-area home for an unresponsive 17-year-old boy. The family performed CPR and gave the teen Narcan as medical services were responding, but unfortunately he died.
On Dec. 5, a 16-year-old boy was found in a Manassas home, in bed, responsive and foaming at the mouth. He was transported to a local hospital and is expected to recover.
Two days later, on Dec. 7, police responded to a Woodbridge home where a 15-year-old boy was reportedly unconscious. Family members performed CPR on him and he regained consciousness. The teen was transported to a local hospital for treatment and is also expected to recover.
Police say there is no evidence currently directly linking the incidents together, all three are believed to be connected to the popular fentanyl-laced narcotic known as “Perc30." These incidents follow two other deaths that happened earlier this year in the county also involving youth consuming this lethal drug.
"With fentanyl, the danger with that narcotic is that it's not something that you typically see side effects from over time. It can be very quick," First Sergeant Jonathan Perok with the Prince William Police Department said to WUSA9. "The first time you use it, you can overdose and die from it because it doesn't take that much to do that."
The investigations into these latest incidents continue. Anyone with information on known distributers operating within the region is asked to contact police.
This warning comes just days after the Prince George's County Police Department issued one for residents after fentanyl-laced pills were found circulating the area. The pills were also linked to multiple overdoses, including two incidents that led to death.
"The police department... typically by the time that we get involved it is a little too late," Perok said in regards to helping with fentanyl-related overdose situations. He explained that this is why police departments provide resources to help parents have conversations with their families and prepare for these types of situations.
Know the Signs. Save A Life. Give Narcan.
Prince William County Residents can obtain lifesaving Narcan nasal spray from Community Services. Learn the signs of opioid use, addiction, overdose, and how to respond using Narcan in 60-minutes by attending a virtual REVIVE training. There are three classes scheduled in December. The trainings can be found on the Community Services events calendar. Community Services provides substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery services to residents of Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and is committed to reducing overdoses in our area. Visit their website of call 703-792-7800 or 703-792-4900 for more information.