FIT Tightens Drug Overdose Rules After Student Death

October 18, 2026 - 02:12

The Fashion Institute of Technology will now require public safety supervisors to carry Narcan, the opioid overdose antidote, following the death of a student earlier this year. The policy change comes after Annabel Richter and her roommate lost consciousness in their dorm on March 18. Investigators say Moises Freire, 19, gave the two students drugs laced with fentanyl while telling them it was pure cocaine. Richter did not survive. Her roommate was hospitalized but recovered.

Under the new rule, public safety supervisors on campus will be equipped with naloxone kits and trained to administer the medication when an overdose is suspected. The school said the change is meant to cut response times before emergency medical crews arrive. Advocates have pushed colleges across the country to adopt similar measures, arguing that campus security officers are often first on the scene.

Freire faces charges connected to the distribution of the drugs. The case has drawn attention to the growing presence of fentanyl in recreational drug supplies and the risks students face when they believe they are using less dangerous substances. FIT officials said they are also reviewing prevention and education programs for students. Richter's family has called for stronger safeguards at schools, saying faster access to naloxone could save lives in similar situations.