Steve Lieberman

slieberm@lohud.com

A Clarkstown police officer used a heroin antidote Thursday morning to save a 25-year-old Nyack man from an overdose death.

The officer had been directed to the man at 22 Dickinson Ave. in Nyack. He found the man blue in the face and unresponsive at 12:30 a.m., leading him to administer naloxone through a nasal spray, Clarkstown police said.

The medication — known by the brand name Narcan — revived the man, who was taken by ambulance to nearby Nyack Hospital for additional treatment. The department said it was believed to be the first use of Narcan by a police agency in Rockland County.

Widespread heroin use has hit the region, with numerous deaths and overdoses. Officials say heroin has become a go-to drug for many people because it's cheaper than prescription drugs like the painkiller oxycodone sold on the streets.

Police across Rockland and the Lower Hudson Valley have been trained to administer the life-saving antidote. The medication and kits have been provided through the state Attorney General's Office.

Police also have used the medication to save lives in Yonkers.