YONKERS – Police today warned about deadly doses of fentanyl-laced cocaine after one man died and two others were hospitalized after possibly using the drug.

Investigators are working to identify the source of the drugs. 

Police issued a public safety announcement to residents not to consume illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin and opioids.

The drugs have the potential to be deadly on their own, but when cut or laced with fentanyl, the risk factor of overdosing and dying increases exponentially, Detective Sgt. Dean Politopoulos said in a statement.

He said fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives, even if consumed in the smallest quantities, will in many cases result in death.

Three men who overdosed in a van and sedan were found at a South Broadway gas station at 7:45 p.m. Friday by police, emergency medical personnel and firefighters, Politopoulos said.

Two of the individuals were either unconscious and unresponsive in cardiac arrest with difficulty breathing, Politopoulos said. The emergency responders found a third man in a passenger sedan in an altered mental state and apparently under the influence of narcotics, he said.

The men were taken by Empress Emergency Medical Services ambulances to St. Joseph’s Hospital while being treated.

Mauricio Nunez, 43, of Locust Hill Avenue, died at the hospital. A 62-year-old man from Warburton Avenue and a 43-year-old from Highland Avenue remain listed in serious but stable condition, Politopoulos said.

The preliminary police investigation found the three men may have been ingesting what police believed to be cocaine inside a van at the gas station and were exposed to a still unknown debilitating substance that may be fentanyl or a fentanyl derivative, Politopoulos said.

Detectives from the Narcotics Unit and Crime Scene Unit interviewed witnesses and subjects, reviewing surveillance video, and processing forensic evidence. They seized the van and sedan as evidence.

In an abundance of caution for the safety of residents and first responders, the Yonkers Police Emergency Service Unit and Yonkers Fire Department Hazardous Materials Unit put safeguards into place at the 4th Precinct.

The police temporarily closed Shonnard Place between Park Avenue and Palisade Avenue. Politopoulos said there were no additional exposures and the vehicles have been sealed and decontaminated.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or illegal narcotics is encouraged to contact the Yonkers Police Narcotics Unit at 914-377-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.

Anonymous tips can be sent by texting the keyword YPD plus the tip to 847411.

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