Man Charged In Morris County Overdose Death

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County man has been charged with selling the drugs that led to a 19-year-old man's overdose death, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.

John P. Rowe, 30, of Budd Lake, has been charged with strict liability drug-induced death in the Sept. 22, 2021, death of a 19-year-old, later identified as G.B., in Mount Olive, Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.

Rowe was charged after the investigation into the Sept. 22 death at a Days Inn located in Mount Olive, where police found an unconscious male later identified as G.B., Carroll said. G.B. was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead on Sept. 23, 2021.

Investigators determined that Rowe distributed fentanyl on Sept. 21, 2021, in Morristown, and results of a toxicology analysis confirmed the presence of fentanyl in the victim's system, Carroll said.

The Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that, based on the toxicology analysis, the fentanyl found in the victim's system was the cause of his death.

In connection with this investigation, Rowe was previously charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

Rowe is currently being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pending further court proceedings.

“Drug dealers should be on notice that we will not hesitate to charge them with the first-degree strict liability drug-induced death statute when the facts support the connection between the dealer and the death of their user/victim. Dealers of deadly Fentanyl should pay special attention as they are dealing lethal substances often to unknowing consumers who may overdose,” Carroll said.