'Every death a tragedy': NJ drug overdose deaths down in '25, but the war continues.

Nearly every county across New Jersey saw suspected drug overdose deaths drop in 2025, with some areas experiencing deep plunges in the counts.

Essex County, which held first place in the state in 2024 in the number of deaths, halved its total last year, according to statistics from the NJ Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner.

Because of Essex's progress, Camden County — No. 2 in total drug deaths in 2024 — had the largest number of OD deaths in 2025, according to the state data. Camden rose to the top in the death count despite showing a 17% drop in the number of deaths.

Camden County also ranked first among NJ counties in the number of OD deaths per 100,000 population. The county's 2025 rate was 31.5 per 100,000 compared with a state average of 13.8 per 100,000. Essex's rate was 17.7 per 100,000.

The total of 1,312 drug deaths statewide was down 27% from 2024. Nearly 500 fewer people died in 2025 compared with the year before.

Dan Keashen, communications director for Camden County government, said the county has come far from the time about 15 years ago when an average of one person a day was dying from a drug overdose.

"Everybody has played a key role in bringing that down, but we still have a lot of work to do," he said.

He said the county has widely distributed Naloxone kits to schools, on school buses, in parks and in other public buildings. The Camden County Police Department has hired two social workers to help address the addiction problem and the county continues to support health care providers in making services available in the community.

The county is now building a $9 million center in Camden city aimed at people with substance-abuse problems or facing homelessness. Offering referral services and assistance from different agencies, the center is scheduled to open this year at Broadway and Liberty Street.

Discussing her county's OD death statistics, Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson's statement about her county could apply statewide: "Every death is a tragedy, but we are very encouraged by the dramatic decreases we've seen over the last several years,"