Middle school art teacher arrested after overdosing on fentanyl in front of students at New Jersey school

A New Jersey middle school teacher has been arrested after police say he overdosed on fentanyl in front of his students last November. The incident happened just after 9 a.m. EST on Nov. 29, when another staff member at Roosevelt Intermediate School in Westfield reported an unconscious teacher found inside a classroom on the second floor of the building, according to the Westfield Police Department.

In an announcement released on Friday, Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro said the teacher, Frank Thompson, was initially "observed in distress" by students before an administrator called the school resource officer, Fortunato Riga, to the classroom. Riga, who later reported the situation to police, recalled finding Thompson "unconscious and unresponsive" on the floor, with the school nurse actively treating him.

Riga told police that he noticed Thompson exhibiting signs of an opioid overdose and administered the medication naxolone hydrochloride, sold under the brand name Narcan, which is used to reverse symptoms. After he was given the medication, Thompson began "showing marked signs of improvement," police said.