By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Bergen County announced the arrest of Gaston Navarro, 40, of Paterson, on charges of strict liability for drug-induced death and drug distribution.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella stated that the arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Garfield Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph Delaney.
According to Bergen County officials, on Thursday, April 24, at approximately 6:43 p.m., the Garfield Police Department responded to a medical emergency at a private residence.
Responding officers located an unresponsive 41-year-old male, who was ultimately pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical personnel, BCPO officials say.
Indicators of a possible drug overdose were noted, and detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotic Task Force were notified.
Bergen County authorities said that a joint investigation was initiated by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department into the death of the victim and the related drug activity.
Following a months-long investigation, detectives determined that the controlled dangerous substance ingested by the victim contained a lethal dose of Fentanyl, and Gaston Navarro was identified as the subject who distributed the fatal dose of narcotics to the victim, causing his death, BCPO officials stated.
According to Bergen County officials, on Wednesday, August 20, while already in custody at the Bergen County Jail on an unrelated matter, Gaston Navarro was charged with first-degree strict liability for drug-induced death of another, and third-degree distribution of Fentanyl.
Navarro remains held in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, BCPO officials say.