Bergen County Man Gave Fatal Drug Dose To 30-Year-Old Man: Prosecutors

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A 29-year-old Garfield man has been charged with strict liability in the drug-induced death of a 30-year-old man in Bergen County in September, prosecutors said.

Melvin Guzman was charged with first-degree strict liability in a drug-induced death and third-degree distribution of fentanyl, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said.

Prosecutors said that on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2023, at approximately 6:41 p.m., the Garfield Police Department received a 911 call reporting the drug overdose of two victims.

Police found victims in the area of 249 Lincoln Place in Garfield, and began life saving measures, including administering Naloxone.

The pair were taken to a hospital, where Ivan Santiago, 30, of Garfield was pronounced dead.

A six-month investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department determined that Guzman "distributed a fatal dose of narcotics to the victim, causing his death," prosecutors said.

Guzman was arrested in Garfield on Thursday, March 28, and taken to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.

Ivan Santiago's obituary is here.