Bergen County Man Sentenced For Selling Drugs That Caused A Fatal Overdose

Sunday, October 26, 2025, 12:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

GARFIELD, NJ.- Last Monday, a 32-year-old Garfield, New Jersey, convicted felon, learned he will be spending the next seven years in New Jersey State Prison, after being sentenced for selling fentanyl-laced narcotics, which caused two people to overdose, one fatally, in September of 2023.

     According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, on Sunday, September 17, 2023, members of the Garfield Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting two individuals who had overdosed. Upon arrival, Police Officers initiated life-saving measures, including administering Naloxone. Both victims were subsequently transported to an area hospital for treatment, where, despite life-saving efforts, one of the victims, identified as a 30-year-old Garfield, New Jersey, man, succumbed to a fatal overdose and was pronounced deceased.

Dectectives Link Hammond To Selling The Drugs

     During the ensuing investigation, Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department, with the assistance of members of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, were able to identify Juhaan Hammond, 32, of Garfield, New Jersey, as the individual who distributed the fatal dose of narcotics to the victim, causing his death. Hammond was taken into custody by Detectives of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Garfield Police Department on September 21, 2023, and formally charged at that time.

     On Monday, July 21, 2025, Hammond appeared in Bergen County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Kevin Purvin to one count of first-degree Strict Liability for a Drug-Induced Death of Another. Hammond also pleaded guilty to a probation violation.

     According to the Prosecutor’s Office, on Monday, October 20, 2025, Hammond appeared in Bergen County Superior Court and was sentenced by Judge Purvin to the terms of his negotiated plea agreement requiring him to serve 7 years in State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, which will require Hammond to serve 85% of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole. Additionally, Judge Purvin sentenced Hammond to a concurrent five-year term for his guilty plea on the violation of probation charge.