Three officers in the Atlantic County Sheriff's office are being praised for saving the life of a man who was overdosing. Narcan was administered to the man three times trying to offset the effects of drugs he had taken.

Atlantic County Sheriff Eric Scheffler posted a statement saying that Sheriff’s detectives Mark Allen, Dalton Rodriguez and Jordan Corona had arrested a wanted fugitive in Hammonton after a brief foot pursuit on Friday, June 11.

The officers put the suspect in the rear of their patrol vehicle and were taking him to the Sheriff's office for processing. After being alert and talking at first, the officers say the man began to slip in and out of consciousness and his breathing became labored.

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The statement says the officers realized that the man had probably overdosed and they immediately administered a dose of Narcan and changed their route to AtlantiCare Hospital, Mainland Division.

While still headed to the hospital, the officers became aware that the man was not responding to the first dose of Narcan and administered a second dose, which they say brought him out of his comatose state to a certain extent.

However, upon reaching AtlantiCare, hospital medical personnel administered a third dose of Narcan and a short time later the suspect was alert and conscious.

Sheriff Scheffler praised the officers for their actions and is quoted as saying he is certain they saved the man’s life.

Narcan is commonly used to counter decreased breathing in an opioid overdose.

According to Wikipedia, Narcan works by reversing the depression of the central nervous system and respiratory system caused by opioids. It is not unusual for multiple doses to be required, as the effects of most opioids last longer than the Narcan.

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