A California father says his son is recovering after suffering a fentanyl overdose at a public park in San Francisco.
Firefighters used Narcan to save the baby’s life.
“Our baby went to the ER today and barely survived because he found and ingested fentanyl while playing,” Ivan M. wrote on Nextdoor. Ivan M. said his baby usually plays in the park’s grassy area with the nanny.
He credited the nanny, the San Francisco Fire Department’s rapid response, and Narcan for saving his baby’s life.
Police say they are still investigating the incident.
“This incident should be a tipping point. I am truly horrified by this,” San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen posted on Twitter.
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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — San Francisco firefighters used Narcan to save the life of a baby who overdosed on fentanyl while playing in a local park, according to the baby’s father.
It’s unknown how the 10-month-old boy came into contact with fentanyl and ingested the powerful opioid at Moscone Park in the Marina district on Tuesday.
“Our baby went to the ER today and barely survived because he found and ingested fentanyl while playing,” Ivan M. wrote on Nextdoor. Ivan M. said his baby usually plays in the park’s grassy area with the baby’s nanny.
He credited the nanny, the San Francisco Fire Department’s rapid response, and Narcan for saving his baby’s life. Narcan is an overdose-reversing medication used to save lives of people who use heroin or fentanyl — which is 50 times more powerful than heroin.
“This incident should be a tipping point. I am truly horrified by this,” San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen wrote on Twitter.
Moscone Park on Chestnut Street was filled with children and dogs enjoying the outdoors on Wednesday. But local residents told KRON4 that it’s not unusual to see people using drugs in the popular park.
“It’s so scary and frightening. It’s supposed to be a safe part of the city,” Moscone Park visitor Clara Lane said.
Police said investigators have not confirmed exactly how the baby made contact with fentanyl.
San Francisco Supervisor Catherine Stefani said details surrounding the incident are still being investigated, however, “One thing is for certain. Our drug crisis is out of control and it’s affecting all corners of our city.”
“It’s absolutely unacceptable that children can’t safely play in our parks because traces of fentanyl or drug paraphernalia are present. Hopefully this will serve as a wake up call to those who are content with our status quo,” Stefani wrote.
Stefani continued, “I’m very grateful that our (firefighters) and EMTs arrived quickly and took immediate action to save this child’s life.”
City officials said safety patrols will be stepped-up in Moscone Park.
More than 500 San Franciscans have fatally overdosed on drugs in 2022, according to the latest data released by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Three-hundred-fifty-nine of those deaths were caused by fentanyl.
