A 2-year-old boy survived a cocaine overdose during a Jersey Shore vacation, authorities said, after the man entrusted with watching him was charged in connection with the incident.
Alexander T. Moles, 39, had been left to supervise the toddler and his siblings Monday morning while their mother showered ahead of checking out of an Airbnb in Wildwood, New Jersey, according to court documents obtained by New Jersey 101.5.
After the mother came out of the shower and became alarmed that her son appeared drowsy and was struggling to breathe, Moles drove the child to a hospital in North Wildwood, the documents said.
One of the adults called 911, and Moles later told police at some point that he believed the child may have taken “pain killers,” according to the records.
At the hospital, medical staff saved the boy with Naloxone nasal spray, commonly known as Narcan, a medication used to reverse overdoses, NJ.com reported.
The toddler was later transported to Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional for blood testing, where he tested positive for cocaine.
During a judge-authorized search of Moles’s Airbnb, officers discovered a pill, tinfoil packets marked “tapentadol hydrochloride,” a clear plastic bag with a white powdery substance inside, and several short plastic straws, according to an affidavit.
Tapentadol hydrochloride is a powerful prescription painkiller prescribed for chronic pain or nerve-related pain.
Authorities said Moles was staying at the property with a woman and her multiple children, including the victim, but did not disclose the nature of the relationship.
Moles, who lives nearly 200 miles away in Ringwood, NJ, was arrested and charged Tuesday with endangering the welfare of a child, cocaine possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of prescription legend drugs, authorities said.
He was lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Facility and released with conditions following a detention hearing on Friday.
The investigation is ongoing.
