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NYC Knicks Parade Overdose: EMT Saves Man with Narcan

6/20/2026

28 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

EMT Simone Kelly gave Narcan to a man who appeared to overdose at the Knicks championship parade in New York on June 19, 2026.
She identified the overdose by pinpoint pupils after climbing onto a subway entrance.
She received a Narcan kit, after which paramedics arrived to transport him.
Kelly, a student at Drew University, said the incident shows anyone can learn to save lives and that she plans to become a doctor.

History

Historical Context

The FDA approved naloxone in 1971, a drug patented in 1961 by Mozes Lewenstein and Jack Fishman, and by 2010 thirty states ran take-home programs. The 2015 Narcan nasal-spray, created by LightLake and NIDA, let EMT student Simone Kelly give the rescue drug at the Knicks championship parade, showing how hospital-only use has become everyday on-scene access.

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Story summary

EMT Simone Kelly gave Narcan to a man who appeared to overdose at the Knicks championship parade in New York on June 19, 2026.
She identified the overdose by pinpoint pupils after climbing onto a subway entrance.
She received a Narcan kit, after which paramedics arrived to transport him.
Kelly, a student at Drew University, said the incident shows anyone can learn to save lives and that she plans to become a doctor.

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