Man dies of apparent overdose at Santa Ana apartment; 2 others hospitalized

BySid Garcia and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Man dies of apparent overdose at Santa Ana apartment
A 30-year-old man died of an apparent overdose Wednesday morning at an apartment in Santa Ana and two others were hospitalized, authorities said.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A 30-year-old man died of an apparent overdose Wednesday morning at an apartment in Santa Ana and two others were hospitalized, authorities said.

Officers responded shortly before 10 a.m. to the 800 block of Fairview Street, where they found the deceased man "with blood coming out of his nose," said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department.

Two other men, ages 18 and 25, were unconscious. They were transported to a hospital in stable condition.

An Orange County Fire Authority hazardous materials team was summoned to the scene after a "white powdery substance" was discovered inside the apartment, Bertagna said.

Investigators believe the substance was fentanyl, a powerful narcotic drug, but they will not know for certain until it's tested, said fire Capt. Larry Kurtz.

"It only takes a couple of granules for it to become an issue," Bertagna said. "Based on the decedent bleeding from the nose and the things they observed -- we train people to immediately evacuate the apartment and call the hazmat unit."

A woman and three children were evacuated from the apartment. None of the four were injured.

The children were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.