7 people hospitalized after 11 overdoses reported in Baltimore's Penn North neighborhood

Eleven people overdosed in Baltimore's Penn North neighborhood on Wednesday, according to police. 

Officers said state and local first responders saw several people showing signs of an overdose around 11:38 a.m. Narcan was administered to multiple people.  

Seven people were transported to a hospital, while four others refused treatment, police said. 

The hospitalized victims — six men and a woman — range in age between 30 and 60 years old, officers said. All are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to survive. 

Police said outreach teams responded to the scene and distributed harm reduction supplies, including Narcan, test strips, safe-use kits and other resources in the community. 

This is the third mass overdose incident reported in the West Baltimore community within the past four months. 

Police are investigating the source of the overdoses and asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP. 

Previous overdoses in West Baltimore 

In July, a total of 32 people were hospitalized after two mass overdoses were reported in the Penn North neighborhood. 

The first incident on July 10 sent 27 people to the hospital, first responders said. 

Crews initially responded to the area of Pennsylvania and North Avenues for multiple reported overdoses. Once they arrived, a community member directed them to more unresponsive people. 

Five people were taken to a hospital in critical condition, and the others were in serious condition, officials said. 

The incident shed light on Baltimore's opioid crisis and prompted an investigation. City leaders directed several agencies to increase their presence and provide resources in the community following the overdoses. 

Nearly one week later, five more people overdosed in the same community, police said.

According to officers, there was no evidence to suggest the two incidents were related. 

Neighbors react 

Some neighbors in the Penn North community questioned why the overdoses keep happening there. 

"It's a scary thing to hear about it, and to be a part of it," said neighbor Ree Moore. "It could have been me."

While on the scene, WJZ saw several people suffering from medical emergencies and being taken by ambulance for help. 

"We are out here doing what we're doing and don't know what we're getting and see what happened," Moore said. 

"I don't know what to say," said neighbor Anthony Epps. "Only thing I can wish for is my city to get better."

Overdose deaths down in Baltimore 

According to data from the Baltimore City Health Department, overdose deaths declined by 25% between 2023 and 2024. 

In 2024, the city reported 778 overdose deaths. 1,043 overdose deaths were reported in 2023, data shows. 

So far this year, 353 overdose deaths have been reported in Baltimore as of August, according to data from the Maryland Health Department. Of those, 314 were related to opioids and 289 were related to fentanyl. 

Baltimore's new health commissioner, Dr. Michelle Taylor, spoke to WJZ in September about her plan to cut the number of overdose deaths by 2040. 

"We've seen these historic drops in violence, but we've got to follow that up with additional work in the behavioral health space," Taylor said.

Anyone in need of assistance can call the crisis hotline at 988.