An 11-month-old Chester County boy nearly died when he overdosed on opioids after accidentally ingesting the drugs as his two parents slept, having taken the opioids themselves, police announced Thursday.
An adult relative found the baby unconscious and not breathing in the couple's car, toward the back of their house on Limestone Road in West Fallowfield Township, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Kevin Kochka said.
Paramedics and state troopers arrived around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday and gave the boy three doses of the overdose-reversing medicine naloxone before rushing him to AI Dupont Hospital in Delaware.
An investigation revealed that the child's parents, Charles Salzman Jr. and Kristen Bristow, had the boy with them as they were doing opioids in their car, which they parked at the back of the house, Kochka said, adding that the drugs appeared to be heroin or fentanyl.
The couple then fell asleep, which is when the boy found the drugs and accidentally ingested them, the state trooper added. Police also found "numerous" bags of what appeared to be heroin or fentanyl, as well as drug paraphernalia, when they searched the house, Kochka said.
Police in Chester County deal with overdoses "daily," but, "Any time incidents happen with children, it takes a different effect on all of our troopers because they're innocent," he added.
Salzman Jr. and Birstow are charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment and related charges. They were jailed at the Chester County Prison. It was not immediately clear if they had an attorney who could speak on their behalf.
