WESTFIELD (WWLP) – A 16-year-old Westfield High School student died from a heroin overdose this past weekend, and a 22-year-old man could now face manslaughter charges for her death.
Bill Liptak, who lived down the street from the teenager, said his daughter went to middle school with her, and from what he remembers she was a good kid with a bright future.
“She was easy going, and friendly,” he said.
Liptak said he was stunned when he heard the news.
“I was shocked. I mean, you don’t know how it happens, you don’t know what kind of peer pressures kids get into now,” he said.
The heroin epidemic impacts people of all ages. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, 28,000 people, between the ages of 12-17, used heroin in 2014.
Nearly half of adolescents who’ve tried heroin first abused prescription pills.
Forensic psychologist Dr. Paul Kalill said for teenagers, peer pressure or bullying can be more than enough to steer them down a dangerous path.
“Not even bullied, but made to feel less important than they really are, and as a result of that, some of these things can easily happen. They get in a wrong crowd, or they just try something because somebody dared them to do that,” he said.
Kalill said schools can only do so much. Oftentimes, one bad influence can be enough to push any teenager over the edge.
Kalill urges parents to keep a close eye on their teens. He said nowadays, you can never be too nosey.
