More than 47 people overdosed on what’s believed to have been synthetic marijuana at or near a Connecticut city park, as fellow parkgoers watched in horror.
Officials said most of the overdoses happened on the New Haven Green throughout the day on Wednesday.
“We have a guy laid out in the alleyway, unresponsive, eyes wide open. He’s out cold,” an unidentified bystander shouted, according to the New Haven Register.
No deaths were reported, but authorities said two people had life-threatening symptoms.
CBS said the victims, covering a range of ages, experienced “a multitude of signs and symptoms [including] vomiting, hallucinating, high blood pressure, shallow breathing, semi-conscious and unconscious states,” said Rick Fontana, director of the city’s Office of Emergency Operations.
Naloxone, an antidote for narcotic overdoses, was administered to some victims but didn’t appear to be effective.
“Do not come down to the green and purchase this K2,” city Police Chief Anthony Campbell said.
“It is taking people out very quickly, people having respiratory failure. Don’t put your life in harm.”
On average, two people die of a drug overdose every day in Connecticut. The state has surpassed the national death rate for drug and opioid overdoses since 2013.
“People are self-medicating for several different reasons, and every agency — police, fire, medical, hospitals — all are strained at this time. This is a problem that’s not going away,” New Haven Fire Chief John Alston Jr. said, according to NBC Connecticut.
Police said they arrested a man believed to be connected to at least some of the overdoses in the park. The suspect’s name wasn’t immediately released.
Related: Know People Tempted to Try K2? Warn Them Off It Now
Synthetic marijuana, which generally is plant material sprayed with chemicals that mimic the high from real marijuana, has been blamed for overdoses across the country.
Authorities suspect synthetic cannabinoids, known as K2, were laced with other substances in the New Haven cases, ABC reported.
K2 can result in seizures, psychosis and even death.
Officials were testing the blood of the victims to see exactly what they ingested.
The overdoses follow a similar outbreak at the same park on July 4, when more than a dozen people were treated.
The Associated Press contributed to this Fox News report, which is used by permission.
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