Quick-thinking police officers rushed to the aid of an unconscious man who had apparently suffered an accidental overdose at Kingsbridge Road subway at the weekend. Officers used a powerful anti-opioid drug to quickly revive him, possibly saving the man’s life in the process.

According to NYPD Detective Denise Moroney, the dramatic incident unfolded outside the turnstile at the Kingsbridge Road subway station, located at East Kingsbridge Road and Jerome Avenue on the border of Kingsbridge Heights and Fordham Manor, and which services the 4 train.

A 911 call was received at 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, June 26, and officers from the 52nd precinct and Transit District 11 immediately responded.

Moroney said upon arrival, officers observed a 29-year-old man, unconscious and unresponsive at the location. She said the officers successfully administered the drug, Narcan, to the man, adding that the unidentified victim was later transported to St. Barnabas Hospital and was reported in “stable” condition.

Nearly a dozen officers were observed around the man as he lay on the floor inside the elevated train station, as they assessed the situation, before taking swift action. Within minutes of receiving the Narcan dose, the man was able to sit up with the help of the officers, who engaged him in conversation. He was eventually observed walking to a waiting ambulance with minimal assistance from paramedics.

Five officers remained outside the ambulance for an additional 30 minutes after the incident occurred, apparently anxious to find out if the young man would be okay, as paramedics tended to the victim inside the vehicle.

At the end of 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 81,000 accidental overdoses were reported in the United States between May 2019 through 2020.

On June 1, the American Medical Association issued a report that read, “The nation’s COVID pandemic made the nation’s drug overdose epidemic worse.” According to the report, every state has seen a rise in opioid deaths over the last year.