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Police: Man overdoses in front of child

A 10-year-old girl became concerned when her mother’s boyfriend, 23-year-old Gary Colatosti, suddenly “fell asleep” inside their West Fourth Street home, city police said.

The man’s breathing just “didn’t sound right, so she attempted to wake up the 17-year-old babysitter who was inside the home. She ultimately texted her mother, who told her to call 911,” an officer wrote in an affidavit.

Colatosti, who had overdosed on drugs twice before, had overdosed again, this time on heroin at 2119 W. Fourth St. just after 11 p.m. on May 10, police said.

When paramedics and police arrived at the home, they found Colatosti on a bedroom floor, “unresponsive and making strange breathing sounds,” the officer said.

In the coroner of the same bedroom was Colatosti’s 2-month-old daughter awake in a car seat, police said.

A paramedic trying to revive Colatosti discovered a hypodermic needle in the man’s front pants pocket, police said.

After a paramedic injected the man with a drug designed to reverse the effect of a heroin overdose, Colatosti came to, police said. “He denied using heroin, which caused the overdose, but admitted to using cocaine several weeks ago,” the officer said.

An admitted heroin addict, Colatosti, jailed earlier this week on a bench warrant, was arraigned Wednesday morning before District Judge James Carn on charges of endangering the welfare of children, corrupting the morals of minors and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was recommitted in lieu of $15,000 bail.

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