Police are investigating an incident during which a baby had to be saved by naloxone at a park in the Marina District Tuesday afternoon.
Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is an opioid-overdose treatment commonly used for reviving fentanyl users in San Francisco. Supervisor Catherine Stefani’s office said naloxone was used in the incident.
This morning I was informed that a 10-month-old baby allegedly ingested fentanyl while playing in the grass at Moscone Park in District 2, and that Narcan was administered by our EMTs to revive the child.
— Catherine Stefani 司嘉怡 (@Stefani4CA) December 1, 2022
A NextDoor user claiming to be the child’s parent took to the social media site to warn other families about the incident, which took place just before 3 p.m. while the infant was playing in Moscone Park Playground, off Chestnut Street.
The post said: “Our baby went to the ER today [Tuesday] and barely survived because he found and ingested fentanyl while playing at Moscone Park (it’s the one next to Marina middle school).”
San Francisco Fire Department Captain Jonathan Baxter said the department could not confirm the claim that the baby ingested fentanyl.
“[On Tuesday], at 2:56 p.m., we responded to Moscone Park for a pediatric patient in cardiac arrest. San Francisco Fire and Paramedics arrived on scene in two minutes, provided life-saving measures and revived the patient, who was transported to a local emergency room and is recovering,” Baxter said of the event.
Only the child’s family will have access to the hospital toxicology report, which would confirm whether or not the child ingested fentanyl. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the NextDoor poster who identified themself as the baby’s parent said the report showed fentanyl in the baby’s system.
“Wanted to put this notice up and spread the word to keep an eye out since a lot of children play there. We got lucky today because of a quick SFFD and EMT response,” the parent posted.
Parents at Moscone Park Wednesday told The Standard they were aware of the incident and were concerned.
“I’m not surprised at all, unfortunately. You can see people sleeping here in the dugout of the baseball field,” said Joe Maunas.
Maunas added that he had encountered drug users in the park bathrooms “more often than I’d like to recall.”
Local mom Kirsten Chalfant said: “I’m scared to come here, especially because my 2-year-old son loves to pick up little treasures. He doesn’t often ingest them, but I’m afraid he’ll get it on his hands and his mouth. I know how deadly fentanyl can be, so I don’t want that anywhere close to my son.”
San Francisco police confirmed officers from Northern Station responded to a local hospital after 10 p.m. Tuesday to a report of male infant who had undergone a medical emergency.
“Officers met with the witness who was with the child at Moscone Recreational Park at approximately 2:30 p.m., when the medical emergency occurred,” a police spokesperson said. “The cause of the medical emergency is still under investigation.”
An SF Recreation and Parks spokesperson said, “Custodial crews attend to the children’s play areas and restrooms at least three times a day. An additional crew services the rest of the park each morning, picking up litter and other debris. We also have a gardener there each day from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. six days a week who picks up litter. No drugs were found in the park during a search following this incident.”
The NextDoor poster has been contacted for comment.