Sources: New Jersey News; Asbury Park Press
Scott Warren died of a heroin overdose just weeks after coming out of rehab for his decade-long addiction. He was found alone in his room in a boarding house in Parlin. He was 32. “Whoever he was with left him to die,” said his stepmother, Dina Warren.
The rate of opiate-related death in New Jersey is three times the national average. In the suburban counties like Bergen, Monmouth and Ocean, overdose deaths are about 240 percent higher than they were in 2010. The reasons?
Heroin is cheaper than the addictive prescription opiates given out so readily these days for pain; it is plentiful on the streets; and it is so potent, the high once achieved by injecting the drug into a vein can now be achieved by snorting.
In 2013, New Jersey passed a “Good Samaritan” Law: drug users or possessors who called for help for their dying friends wouldn’t face drug charges. Last year, the state approved use of the drug Naloxone/Narcan to revive people on the brink of overdose death. Still, the Scott Warrens keep dying, and their families keep reeling.
Scott’s brother Jesse Warren is a concert promoter so young, he can’t legally drink in venues where his shows are held. But that hasn’t stopped him from promoting benefit concerts to raise money for pancreatic cancer research, after an uncle died from the disease. And they were no ordinary kid shows — they featured guys who played for the biggest names in Jersey rock.
On August 13, Jesse teamed with veteran Jersey Shore music scene attorney Terry Camp and drummers from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band to put on a benefit show that both celebrated the 40th anniversary of Springsteen’s breakthrough album Born to Run and benefited the CFC Loud N Clear Foundation addiction aftercare program.
It was held in a packed Bar A in Lake Como (formerly Bar Anticipation in South Belmar), not far from the actual E Street in Belmar that Springsteen named his band after. Current drummer Max Weinberg played Night and Born to Run with Eddie Testa and Jo Bonanno on vocals; former drummer Vini Lopez joined Tommy Byrne for a rendition of Springsteen’s Seaside Bar Song. “Scott, wherever you are, this one’s for you,” Byrne said.
“For me, it was bittersweet,” Jesse said. “I put these shows together, I never expected anything like this. Max came on board, we’re great family friends. He said, ‘Jess, you did phenomenal, and I’m honored to do this for you and your father.'”
On August 29, Vini Lopez and CFC Loud N Clear will be teaming up again for a Rock The Farm carnival and concert benefit in Farmingdale with Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan headlining.