Families who lost loved ones to drug overdoses hold awareness vigil in Kearny, N.J.
KEARNY, N.J. -- The community in Kearny joined forces with the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office on Thursday night to raise awareness about drug overdoses, including those laced with fentanyl.
CBS New York spoke with families who have lost loved ones, and those who continue to fight addiction.
"It hurts. It hurts every day," said Bill Handlin, whose daughter died from an overdose.
Handlin showed a picture of daughter Nikki, before she was born.
"I'm a drug addict, alcoholic, thief, cheat, a liar," Handlin said.
He was all those things, but decided at age 31, when his precious daughter was born, to get clean. He said, unfortunately, Nikki also battled drug addiction, blowing through a $500,000 inheritance. By the time she was 31, he got the call he dreaded.
"Before I even picked up, I knew what the call was," Handlin said.
At a candlelight vigil on Thursday night hosted by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, some in recovery and families of those who died shared hugs.
Betty Ritacco's only child, Joey, suffered with addiction throughout his life. She said by the time he was 29 he was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in jail. Within weeks of being released, he started using again. At 39, "He OD'd from crack cocaine laced with fentanyl," she said.
On Thursday in Jersey City, police say two people were found dead in a car from a possible drug overdose.
According to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, more than 1,500 people died from drug-related overdoses in the state between Jan. 1 and July 31.
"It doesn't matter how old you are. It doesn't matter how educated you are, your socioeconomic status ... it affects everyone," said Gene Rubino, of the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office.
Booths at West Hudson Park offered literature and boxes of Narcan for anyone who needed it.
"Touch one life and we've done our lifetime's work," one person said.
There were also so many stories of recovery and hope on Thursday night. Many of the families who lost loved ones said they did everything in their power to help, but in order for that to be received the addict must also accept it.
