Artie Lange Arrested Again As NJ Drug Horror Continues: PD

Artie Lange, the troubled New Jersey comedian and former co-host of Howard Stern's radio show who has had a history of heroin troubles, was arrested in New Jersey on Tuesday.

The Essex County Sheriff’s Office arrested Lange, 51, for violating his drug probation. The sheriff's office picked up Lange at 7:42 a.m., according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. He was lodged in the Essex County jail.

The Essex County Sheriff Office told Patch that Lange was arrested on a drug court warrant at Freedom House, a Clinton halfway house where he lives.

Lange, who will be jailed until he is called before a judge for re-evaluation, sounded good, looked sober and was "coherent" when he was arrested, the Essex County Sheriff's Office told Patch.com.

Kathy Carter, a spokeswoman with the ECPO, said she couldn't reveal more about how he was arrested, saying it's a confidential matter that involves the drug court in Essex County. "He was deemed to not be in compliance with the program," said Carter.

Kevin Lynch, a spokesman for the Essex County Sheriff's Office, said earlier reports that said Lange was found again with heroin on May 12 were incorrect. He did not know the details of Lange's latest probation violation.

Last week, Lange was on social media again – only this time, it was to update his job status: He's pumping gas. He even retweeted this video on his own account:

It was yet another bad week for Lange as he took to social media to address the growing concerns from famous comedians about his demolished nose and his drug addiction.

In this video, Lange told his former boss, Howard Stern, that he loves him and that he'll be back on stage soon.

Lange has said he was "blown away" by reactions from Richard Lewis, Patton Oswalt and others, even as his recent appearance in court drew fears that his descent into drugs is getting worse.

Lange commented on a Variety article quoting a tweet from Richard Lewis that said: “Artie, this is my 1,000th request over decades to beg you to surrender to your addictions. When you had time clean we had the most laughs sober. I love you. You’re beloved and a magnificent comedian cursed with self-loathing and fear. Give it up and live.”

"Wow I just read this article," Lange replied on Twitter. "Guys I’m so blown away by this concern for me. I do not deserve it. I promise u I don’t mean any disrespect to u all. I want to live. I want to work. I’m so sorry if I cause u to worry. I love u & I hear u. Loud and clear. Artie."

Lange appeared in state Superior Court in Newark for a probation violation recently and avoided jail time, even though he admitted that he had drugs in his system. Since then, Lange has actually made some appearances and has made light of his facial troubles on social media.

Indeed, right after the court appearance, Lange felt compelled to talk about his mangled, caved-in nose that shocked many of his fans when they saw it on video. He said it's from years of snorting heroin and cocaine, and he even accidentally snorted glass once as he tried to ingest opiates, an incident he talked about in his memoir.

During the summer, an Essex County assistant prosecutor said Lange may be his “own worst enemy” after avoiding inpatient drug treatment following his heroin possession arrest last year.

In June, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced that Superior Court Judge Nancy Sivilli placed Lange, 50, on probation for four years and ordered him into outpatient drug treatment.

Lange will also face mandatory drug screening, fines and 50 hours of community service. If Lange were to fail to live up to the terms of the probation, he could be incarcerated for five years, prosecutors said.

The comedian, known for his appearances on The Howard Stern Show and Mad TV, pleaded guilty to possessing 81 decks of heroin in December of 2017. His plea agreement called for a probationary term and drug treatment, prosecutors said.

With reporting by Eric Kiefer