This archive report was first published on 22 September 2019.
On September 22, 2019, a tragic incident unfolded in Pittsburgh, leaving three men dead and four others hospitalized due to overdoses.
According to the authorities, all seven men had been at the same event at an unidentified venue, where they were wearing orange paper bands on their wrists. After leaving the venue, they proceeded to a private residence, where they overdosed on drugs together.
Chris Togneri, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, clarified that this was not a case of a tainted drug being passed around or distributed in large volume at a large venue. Instead, it appears to have been an isolated incident at a single location.
Although the authorities did not identify the specific drugs responsible for the overdoses, they expressed concern about a potentially deadly batch of drugs in the community. In a statement, they warned the public not to use drugs, emphasizing that one cannot know what's in a particular substance.
Following a series of medical calls, the authorities found five men inside an apartment, two of whom were dead. The man found in the elevator also died. None of the men were tenants at the apartment, but rather visitors to a tenant who was in good standing.
Mark Winter, a spokesman for the Southside Works City Club Apartment building, stated that the group had attended an outside event before returning to the apartment. The police identified multiple venues in the city that had used orange wristbands on Saturday night for events and concerts.
Chris Togneri reassured the public that news reports linking this incident to specific venues were incorrect, and that those who attended these events had no cause for concern regarding their health.
