Police: Video captures Paulsboro woman's overdose
WEST DEPTFORD – A South Jersey woman revived by Narcan this weekend is pleading for Facebook users to stop sharing and viewing a YouTube video of her heroin overdose.
The video, viewed more than 22,000 times, has reignited awareness of the local heroin epidemic on social media. But it's also sparked debate on how much the public is entitled to see.
The nine-minute video — posted to YouTube Sunday by Idrise Maxey-Carmichael — shows a young woman on the ground near a guide rail. She's pale. A woman's voice says she looks blue then calls out that she needs Narcan, the heroin overdose antidote.
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A man on a cellphone calls out directions for administering CPR, while a woman begins chest compressions. Emergency vehicle sirens get louder as police and paramedics approach. Paulsboro Police officers rush to the motionless woman's side and begin administering Narcan through her nose. She needs a second dose, paramedics decide.
Kellymae Demore, 25, survived the overdose, according to West Deptford Police Chief Sam DeSimone.
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Demore's brother, who police did not name, picked her up in Camden. She complained she "didn't feel good," then went unconscious, the police chief said, recounting the events leading up to what was captured on video.
Demore — going by Kelmae Demore on Facebook — indicated Monday she felt "blessed" but pleaded with friends not to share the video out of respect for her family and "lil daughter."
The post was shared 20 times and garnered 95 comments, some simply begging her to "stay alive!"
Other posts called her a bad mother, offered encouragement to seek addiction help and offered well wishes.
"Not strong or ready yet. All I'm sayin is I'm dead in that video," the Paulsboro woman wrote, noting no friend would want to watch it.
Demore did not respond to the Courier-Post's request for comment.
DeSimone said officers visited Demore after the event. She indicated "she's fine," he said.
The Narcan "save" was the first in 2016 for Paulsboro police, who administered the drug five times in 2015, according to Police Chief Vernon Marino.
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"We haven't seen that much in Paulsboro. It's here, but we haven't seen it widespread," Marino told the Courier-Post.
He said the release of the video is a breach of Demore's privacy.
However, DeSimone disagrees.
"Unfortunately, it's an epidemic for everybody," DeSimone, a former D.A.R.E. officer, told the Courier-Post Tuesday.
"I always ended up going out to these calls. If I could, I would have taped it and gone to the schools."
A heroin overdose is "not a pretty sight," DeSimone added.
"If people could see this, maybe they would have a different perspective," he added.
Carly Q. Romalino; (856) 486-2476; cromalino@gannettnj.com