Suspect handing out substances leaves 39 people overdosed in London Ontario
Emergency services in London Ontario answered a sudden flood of calls when 39 overdose-related incidents were recorded over a 24-hour span. London police said several people required medical treatment after a suspect drove through the downtown core and distributed a free substance to multiple individuals.
Downtown victims and London police logged 39 calls between 8: 00 am ET Wednesday and 8: 00 am ET Thursday
Between 8: 00 am ET Wednesday and 8: 00 am ET Thursday, emergency services responded to 39 separate overdose-related calls, with several people needing medical care. Officers first noted a cluster of non-fatal overdoses shortly after 11: 15 am ET Wednesday when they were called to multiple incidents in the downtown area.
London Health Sciences Centre activated a Code Orange Alert to manage the influx of patients arriving with non-fatal drug overdoses. That move signaled hospitals and emergency responders were coordinating to handle the sudden load of people seeking urgent treatment.
Suspect driving through downtown London handed out a free substance on Wednesday
Investigators learned that a suspect driving through the downtown core had given out a free substance to a number of people before leaving the area. Several of those who ingested the substance later overdosed and required medical care, prompting the surge of calls to police, fire, and paramedic services.
Police described the distribution as the immediate trigger for the spike in incidents. The pattern — a person moving through downtown and offering an unverified substance — has been central to investigators’ initial assessment of how the cluster began.
London Police Service criminal investigation division leads probe as officials warn residents
The response to the spike has shifted into a criminal investigation. The matter has been reassigned to the London Police Service criminal investigation division, where officers are now working to determine the origin of the substance and to identify those responsible.
Officials are urging anyone who may have received the substance not to ingest it and to contact police. Residents have been asked to provide dashcam footage or surveillance video from the downtown core that may assist investigators in tracking movements and identifying the vehicle or suspect involved.
Authorities are also reminding individuals of the risks associated with illegal drugs. They are encouraging people not to use substances alone, to carry naloxone where possible, and to call 911 immediately if an overdose is suspected. Under the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, individuals who seek emergency help during an overdose may receive some legal protection.
For the people who overdosed, the immediate concern has been medical stabilization and follow-up care. For now, the confirmed next development is that the investigation has been reassigned to the London Police Service criminal investigation division, which will work to trace the substance’s origin and identify those responsible while emergency services and London Health Sciences Centre continue to manage patient care.
Emergency responders remain the entry point to the story: they logged the calls, treated the people who collapsed after ingesting a distributed substance, and have passed the matter to detectives who will seek answers about how a free substance circulated through the downtown core.
