NEWARK -- Newark police on Saturday said they charged two men with distributing synthetic marijuana in a downtown area of the city where 40 people were sickened by the drug over the past three days.
A joint effort by the city narcotics unit and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force led to the arrests of Kevin L. McKenzie, 31, and Quadeer A. Nelson, 37, on Friday near Newark Penn Station, according to city Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.
McKenzie was caught with seven small Ziplock bags and one packet of synthetic marijuana, Ambrose added. Police found Nelson with four Ziplock bags of the substance, a packet of the drug and five empty synthetic marijuana packages.
Investigators were still working to track the source of the drug, called K2, that caused the spike in illnesses beginning Thursday night when police found about a dozen people showing similar symptoms near New Jersey Railroad Avenue, Ambrose added. Authorities could not confirm if the two recent arrests were tied to the rash of hospitalizations.
There have been no fatalities, according to police. Most of the drug users are from the city's homeless population. Officials warned using synthetic marijuana can cause seizures, hallucinations, vomiting and psychosis.
Members of the Newark police clergy unit were also working to discourage people from using the drug.
New Jersey outlawed K2 and similar substances called bath salts in 2012 after a surge in emergency room visits from the drugs.
Ambrose urged anyone with information to contact Newark's tip line at 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). Police said all anonymous tips would be kept confidential and could lead to a reward.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.