Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Police release video of man overdosing on heroin on a bus to raise awareness of drug abuse

Police in Pennsylvania have released footage of a man who overdosed on heroin rescued at a critical moment.

Ryan Ramgobin
Thursday 25 February 2016 09:59 EST
Comments
Police Save Man from Heroin Overdose On Bus

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man who overdosed on heroin while riding a busy public bus was rescued at a critical moment by officials in Pennsylvania.

Dramatic surveillance footage of the incident has been released by Upper Darby Police in an attempt to raise awareness of drug abuse.

The video shows Michael Meeney, 25, injecting heroin into his right arm and appearing dazed on his journey before he suddenly loses consciousness and collapses onto the bus aisle.

The footage then cuts to an empty bus with officers administering Narcan spray to Meeney.

Narcan is a drug that reverses the effects of an overdose and is being used increasingly across the United States.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said: “It's a great thing that that Narcan saves lives but it doesn't do anything for the addiction.”

"Normally you see overdoses in a bathroom or vacant building, but this was at 1pm on a public bus.”

“My hope is that he gets the help for the addiction. He's one of thousands of people out there in our community that are addicted to heroin. It is the biggest problem we deal with.”

After being treated in hospital, Meeney was arrested for possession of heroin.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in