Hero Cop Uses Narcan to Save Life of Man Found Lying on Ground

A hero police officer used Narcan saved the life of a man found in the road in Riverside Friday, police said.

According to Southampton Town Police, a 911 call came in at 6:16 p.m. Saturday regarding a male, possibly not breathing, who was found lying in the road near the bus stop at the County Center on Center Drive in Riverside.

Southampton Town Police and Flanders/Northampton Volunteer Ambulance were dispatched to the location, police said.

Police Officer Keith Phillips and other officers arrived on scene within a minute and found a man, 39, unconscious and turning blue with agonal respirations — gasping breaths which will not sustain life, police said.

Officer Phillips, a long standing New York State-certified Emergency Medical Technician -Critical Care, quickly assessed the subject and determined that his condition was possibly the result of an opiate overdose, such as heroin.

Symptons of heroin overdose included respirations, pinpoint pupils, and other signs at the scene. police said.

Officer Phillips administered Narcan via the man’s nasal passage and within a few seconds, his respirations improved. Within minutes, he was conscious and talking, police said. Flanders/Northampton Volunteer Ambulance personnel arrived a short time later, took over patient care and transported the subject to Peconic Bay Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment.

More than 60 Southampton Town police officers are trained and equipped to provide Narcan to suspected opiate overdoses, police said. Saturday’s save was the first use of Narcan for the department in 2016, police said.