GARFIELD, NJ – Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of Juhaan Hammond, a resident of 57 Jewell Street, Second Floor, Garfield, NJ, on charges related to strict liability and drug distribution. The arrest followed an investigation led by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department.
On Sunday, September 17, at about 6:41 pm, the Garfield Police Department received a distress call reporting a drug overdose involving two individuals.
Officers arriving at 249 Lincoln Place in Garfield found the victims and began life-saving measures, including administering Naloxone. Both victims were rushed to a nearby hospital, where one, identified as 30-year-old Ivan Santiago of Garfield, NJ, was declared deceased.
The joint investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force and the Garfield Police Department linked Juhaan Hammond to the distribution of the lethal narcotics dose that resulted in Santiago’s death.
Hammond was arrested in Garfield on Thursday, and faces multiple charges, including first-degree strict liability in a drug-induced death. He is currently held at the Bergen County Jail, awaiting his first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.