15-month-old baby overdoses in Portland, commissioner says

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Last Friday, a 15-month-old baby was saved by Portland Fire & Rescue after overdosing and choking on a piece of tinfoil, City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez tweeted on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau said at 5:45 p.m. on Friday September 22, officers responded to reports of a possible overdose involving a 15-month-old child in the parking garage of a business in the 2800 block of SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Officers arrived to learn the child was unconscious while an off-duty paramedic performed CPR but fire personnel administered Narcan to the child who was then transported to a local hospital.

Police believed the child came in contact with a drug substance in the family vehicle. Officers searched the car and found drugs, paraphernalia, foil, scales, and torches.

The child’s parents stayed at the scene the entire time and were cooperating with the investigation, the PPB spokesperson said.

Although no arrests have been made, DHS was notified.

Gonzalez used the incident to illustrate what he says is a problem with hard drug use.

“This is a horrific reminder of how the drug crisis is destroying our community,” tweeted Gonzalez. “We need State Legislature to address hard drug use. It is also time for the city and county to strongly consider declaring a public health emergency.”

In June of this year, the Portland Police Bureau reported that it investigated three overdoses where children were exposed to fentanyl. The children were reportedly between one and three years old.

In 2022, the Portland Police Bureau was notified of 58 confirmed overdose deaths city-wide, with 27 of them suspected to be linked to fentanyl.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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