At least 25 hospitalized after mass overdose in Baltimore

David Matthews, New York Daily News on Jul 10, 2025

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At least 25 people were hospitalized Thursday following a “level one” mass overdose event in Baltimore.

Baltimore City police and fire officials said paramedics first responded to a 911 call for a single overdose around 9:25 a.m. in the Penn-North neighborhood. Upon arriving at the scene, they discovered multiple other people collapsed in the streets.

At least five of the victims were in critical condition, officials told NBC affiliate WBAL. Authorities said the number of overdoses is expected to rise as they search for other suspected cases in the area.

Officials did not disclose what substances the victims had used, though community organizers told The Baltimore Banner there were rumors of a “bad batch” of drugs in the neighborhood.

“It’s like a mass shooting,” drug treatment outreach worker Vincent Timmons told the Banner, but “they didn’t use no gun, they used narcotics.”

Deputy Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Jones said rescue crews were searching back alleys and vacant homes, looking for additional people experiencing a medical crisis. The Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Overdose Response urged residents to call for help if they see anyone in need of assistance.

“We don’t know what’s in the supply, and so for folks to be careful if they’re using, to have Narcan available. Use with someone else,” Executive Director Sara Whaley said in a statement. “If you see someone in your community that looks like they need help, make sure they call emergency services.”

The International Association of Firefighters in Baltimore said the tragic event “once again underscores the severity of the opioid crisis in Baltimore and the systemic strain it places on emergency services.”

They called on the city council and mayor to restore and expand the fire department’s recently downgraded advanced life support units and reallocate funding to hire and retain sufficient paramedics.