A 15-year old girl died and three more teens were hospitalized Tuesday after suffering overdoses at a high school in Hollywood.
Each of the teens found in or near Helen Bernstein High School in Los Angeles, California, are believed to have received Percocet laced with fentanyl at the nearby Lexington Park.
Police responded at 9pm Tuesday to a call from Bernstein High, hours after the school had closed, to investigate a possible overdose.
The stepfather of one of the girls who suffered an overdose made the call after finding the child suffering an apparent overdose in the school courtyard – he had gone looking for her after she did not return home from school around 2.00pm earlier that day.
The suffering girl, 15, told her parent that her friend had also overdosed and was in a school bathroom.
Helen Bernstein High School in Los Angeles, California where two students were found overdosing from what were believed to be fentanyl-laced Percocet pills
One of the 15-year old girls was declared dead at the scene, the other is in stable condition. Two more teens were found overdosing in the nearby Lexington Park, where it is believed the drugs were dealt
According to an NBC report, the parent flagged down a school employee and found the second girl in the women’s restroom, where he administered CPR.
Paramedics also reportedly attempted a revival, but she was declared dead at the scene.
The second girl is in stable condition.
Officers soon made their way to Lexington Park, less than a mile away from the school, where they found two more teens, of approximately the same ageone of them male, overdosing.
Both are said to still be alive and at least one is in stable condition.
It is unclear if the two sets of teens knew each other, the two found at the park do not attend Bernstein High.
The Helen Bernstein High School was the original filming location of William McKinley High on the popular Fox show Glee
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin, was the leading cause of drug deaths in 2021
Law enforcement officers say the dealer is believed to frequent Lexington Park and it is the responsibility of parents to seriously discuss the dangers of drug consumption with their children.
Los Angeles Police Department Lt. John Radtke said, ‘The most important thing is to make sure that everybody’s aware they’re selling the poison out here in this park, and keep your kids away from it.’
The school, which was the original filming location of the hit Fox show ‘Glee,’ remained opened Wednesday, with grief counselors available onsite for staff and students.
A statement from the Los Angeles United School District read, ‘As we work together with LAPD To uncover the details of this tragic situation, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of both students.’
The district said it will share more details as they become available.
The identity of the deceased victim was not released pending the notification of her family, nor where the names of the other three teens.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin, was the leading cause of drug deaths in 2021.
Percocet is a prescription drug that contains oxycodone, a narcotic, and acetominophen, a painkiller found in Tylenol.