Self-styled street vigilantes are reportedly roaming around San Francisco spraying the anti-overdose drug Narcan into the noses of unsuspecting homeless people – before posting video of their attacks online to brag on social media.
The disturbing tactic designed to chase homeless people off the sidewalk has left fentanyl users in San Francisco writhing in sudden withdrawal after being hit with the overdose-reversal spray — despite not overdosing at all, according to an ABC7 report.
One victim, 43-year-old Nestor Garcia, told the San Francisco Standard that a stranger shoved the plastic nozzle of Narcan up his nose this summer in UN Plaza, triggering violent sickness and leaving him vomiting on the pavement.
Garcia hadn’t slept in days when he began nodding off on his bicycle in UN Plaza, his feet slipping from the pedals as he slumped over the handlebars in a fentanyl-induced haze.
He admits he was in rough shape, but insists he was still conscious when a man shoved Narcan into his nose, shocking his body into violent withdrawal before ordering him not to sleep there.
“He knew I was still awake — he had bad intentions for sure,” Garcia told the Standard.
The jolt left Garcia flailing, puking and drenched in sweat as his body went into sudden opioid withdrawal.
“It felt like a bad dream,” he said.
Narcan, the brand name for naloxone, is a fast-acting medication that reverses opioid overdoses by blocking opioids from brain receptors and restoring normal breathing.
It is safe for anyone to use, commonly delivered as a nasal spray, and has little to no effect on people who do not have opioids in their system.
However, in those dependent on opioids, Narcan can trigger sudden and severe withdrawal symptoms such as vomiting, sweating and agitation.
Once dosed, users also report soaring anxiety, wild swings in body temperature and an urgent craving for their next hit.
The drug’s effects last about an hour, during which users are unable to get high — a period many describe as unbearable.
San Francisco has recorded more than 3,500 fatal overdoses in the past four years, according to the city’s Department of Public Health.
To fight the crisis, officials have distributed more than half a million doses of Narcan citywide since 2021.
But the life-saving drug is now being improperly used by residents seeking to get the homeless off city streets.
Six drug users told the Standard they had been startled awake in recent months by strangers either spraying Narcan into their noses or threatening to do so.
“They’re using it like a weapon,” said Kenneth Byrd, who is homeless and addicted to fentanyl.
“People are going around doing it just for kicks,” Byrd said. “It’s f—ked up.”
“I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” said Henry Jones, a homeless man who said he was jolted awake this year by someone spraying Narcan into his nose.
“I’ve been shot seven times, and being Narcan’d like that was worse,” Jones said.
Word of the attacks has spread fear through San Francisco’s homeless community, even as online commenters cheer the tactic as vigilante justice.
A viral Instagram video, viewed more than 4 million times since July 9, shows a man brandishing Narcan to force a drug user off a Tenderloin sidewalk. The clip is captioned “best way to get somebody up in San Francisco.”
“Here, hand me the Narcan, he needs the Narcan, give him the Narcan,” the cameraman shouts as he confronts a man slumped on drugs. The user springs to his feet and walks away.
“Yeah, you better get your ass up,” the cameraman yells. “You ain’t about to die out here.”
The video has racked up 190,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments, with many praising the tactic.
“The new strategy for moving bums out of your way,” one wrote.
“Bro just solved the opiate crisis,” another said.
San Francisco is grappling with rampant open-air drug markets centered in areas like the Tenderloin, Sixth Street and near 16th & Mission, where drug use and dealing persist—especially at night—despite daytime crackdowns.
Public health and safety crises, including the fentanyl overdose epidemic and large numbers of people living unsheltered, worsen visible decay and public disturbance, according to locals.
Neighbors, business owners and long-time residents report being overwhelmed by open drug scenes, biohazards, encampments and what they describe as inadequate enforcement.
City officials have responded with mobile command units, increased police patrols, community ambassadors and plans for more treatment and interim housing beds, but many in affected communities say these efforts are patchy and slow.
Frustration has boiled over into “compassion fatigue” among residents who feel the crisis has spiraled beyond what current policies can control.
Health experts blasted the street misuse of Narcan. Dr. Ayesha Appa, an addiction specialist at UCSF, told the Standard it should be treated as assault and urged people to check for breathing before giving the drug.
“Using Narcan this way is not just mean-spirited, it’s cruel,” Appa said.
“When you send someone from a resting state to a heart rate of over 120, and say somebody has preexisting medical problems … it can be life-threatening.”
The Department of Public Health also denounced the practice.
“Individuals should administer naloxone if they recognize that someone is experiencing an overdose,” the agency told the Standard.
“However, misusing this essential tool to intentionally cause pain or distress is inhumane.”
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