Florida deputy exposed to fentanyl, saved by Narcan, his bodycam shows

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The frightening moment a Florida deputy was exposed to fentanyl during a traffic stop — and was likely saved by another officer who quickly administered Narcan — was caught on his bodycam.

Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Huzior, was on the side of a road testing a white powdery substance found inside a vehicle that had been pulled over around 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, when, despite his protective equipment, he suddenly didn’t feel right.

Video shows Huzior, who was wearing personal protective equipment, stepping away from the hood of the red car where he had been conducting the tests and walking over to another deputy’s cruiser and knocking on its passenger-side window.

“I feel lightheaded,” he tells Deputy First Class Kyle Gaddie, according to the clip from the sheriff’s office.

“Call EMS.”


Deputy Nick Huzior was testing narcotics found during a traffic stop when he began to feel light-headed.
Deputy Nick Huzior was testing a white powdery substance found during a traffic stop when he began to feel light-headed.
News4JAX The Local Station/YouTube

Gaddie quickly gets out of his car and tells Huzior to sit down as he radios for assistance. He reaches inside the police vehicle to pull out a small dose of Narcan, warning the deputy that it won’t hurt him if the substance turns out not to be fentanyl.

Gaddie holds the dose up to Huzior’s mouth and tells him to breathe in.

“One Narcan administrated,” he says on the radio before asking Huzior how he feels.

“I feel really dizzy. My heart is beating really fast,” he replied.

Gaddie tells him to keep breathing as a good Samaritan comes over to offer assistance.


Bodycam footage showed a fellow deputy administering two doses of Narcan to Huzior.
News4JAX The Local Station/YouTube

“My left hand is going numb,” Huzior says at one point. Gaddie immediately gives him a second dose of Narcan, the video shows.

Huzior then says his face is feeling numb.

“That’s probably the Narcan hitting you,” Gaddie says.

Video shows the ambulance arriving and Huzior being loaded onto a stretcher.

The officer is still recovering from the scary incident on Saturday, the sheriff’s office said.

Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the DEA.

The frightening ordeal began after police received several 911 calls regarding a reckless driver who had fled a hit-and-run scene in the city of Bunnell and took off on State Road 11, nearly causing several more crashes, police told WPLG.


Officer treated for Narcan exposure
Huzior, who was still recovering Saturday, was taken in an ambulance after he was exposed to fentanyl.
News4JAX The Local Station/YouTube

The driver, identified as 61-year-old George Clemons of Crescent City, eventually stopped on his own on the side of the road. He was found sitting in the driver’s seat with the keys beneath his legs, police said.

Deputies spotted narcotics, an empty Bud Light can and a mini bottle of alcohol in plain view inside the vehicle, according to FCSO.

Clemons refused a sobriety test and was charged with driving under the influence. After he was detained, Huzior tested the narcotics the deputies had found.

Clemons was charged with DUI, fentanyl possession, cocaine possession, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, possession of a legend drug without a prescription, possession of suboxone and possession of drug paraphernalia.


Officer preparing dose of Narcan
The Narcan was orally administered, video shows.
News4JAX The Local Station/YouTube

The Bunnell Police Department additionally charged Clemons with leaving the scene of a crash with property or vehicle damage in connection with the hit-and-run in their jurisdiction.

Clemons is being held at the Flagler County jail on $25,500 bond.

“What happened yesterday is a perfect example of the dangers law enforcement face each and every day from poison on the streets,” said Sheriff Rick Staly.

“Thankfully, our deputies are well-trained and equipped with Narcan, which allowed DFC Gaddie to potentially save the life of a fellow deputy.”

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