Students find teacher overdosing in classroom, New Jersey cops say. He’s been charged
A middle school teacher is facing drug charges after students found him overdosing on fentanyl in a classroom, New Jersey police said.
The 57-year-old art teacher at Roosevelt Intermediate School was being treated by the school’s nurse when a school resource officer arrived on Nov. 29, a Jan. 6 statement from the Westfield Police Department said.
Officer Fortunato Riga found the teacher “unconscious and unresponsive on the classroom floor,” police said.
Riga, who recognized the man was suffering from a drug overdose, administered the opioid antagonist he had on hand, “Narcan, police said. This improved the teacher’s condition.
“In this case, the swift actions of Officer Riga, who is on-site at Roosevelt Intermediate each school day, proved instrumental in maintaining the safety of the students and administering potentially life-saving measures to” the teacher, chief Christopher Battiloro said in the news release.
Westfield Public School District Superintendent Raymond González said the district “cannot comment on personnel matters” but that they “maintain a continued focus on student and staff safety and on preserving the integrity of the classroom learning environment,” according to the release.
Through investigation, police said they found “suspected controlled dangerous substance,” as well as drug paraphernalia in a closet in his classroom.
The art teacher is facing charges, including possession of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of children, according to police. The man is expected to appear in court on Feb. 1.
Westfield is about 10 miles southwest of Newark.
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 9:01 AM with the headline "Students find teacher overdosing in classroom, New Jersey cops say. He’s been charged."
