UPDATE – Feb. 24 – By Zack Sampson, News Staff

Jonathan G. Blaser, a Northeastern alumnus, died in Shillman Hall Feb. 11. He was 28.

Mr. Blaser was on-campus visiting his father, Robert Blaser, an associate co-op coordinator and part-time lecturer in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences.

“This is a tragic and untimely loss. Our hearts and prayers go out to the young man’s family and friends during this difficult time,” the university said in a statement issued to The News.

Mr. Blaser graduated from Malden Catholic High School in 2000. He then moved on to earn degrees from both Northeastern (2005) and the University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate School of Education.

He recently worked at Integral Resources, Inc., a telephone fundraising company in Cambridge.

Mr. Blaser’s parents said he was an avid reader and Boston sports fan. He was also known to love music.

He hoped to eventually become a social worker, using his own problems and experiences to help others according to Mr. Blaser’s father.

According to Boston Police Department (BPD) incident reports and the Chief Medical Examiner’s office, an overdose of heroin is being investigated as the cause of death.

In addition to his father, Mr. Blaser leaves his mother, Jean; brothers, David and Adam; and grandfather, Robert.

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Second heroin death in 3 days

By Colin Young, News Staff

An unidentified man was found unresponsive and pronounced dead Friday evening in a Shillman Hall second floor bathroom. According to Boston Police Department (BPD) incident reports, an overdose of heroin is being investigated as the cause of death.

Director of Communications Renata Nyul said the victim was not a student, but declined to say whether he was otherwise affiliated with the university. Nyul also did not release the man’s name and age.

Nine officers from the Northeastern Division of Public Safety (NUPD) responded to a call for a possible cardiac arrest on the second floor of Shillman Hall at 5:38 p.m. Friday. BPD officers, the Boston Fire Department (BFD), Boston EMS and the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office also responded. The man was pronounced dead on the scene by Boston EMS.

In addition to his personal effects, the victim had a needle containing brown liquid heroin, a spoon with heroin residue on it, a glass pipe with heroin residue and a plastic bag of marijuana according to the BPD incident report.

Friday’s death was the second fatal heroin overdose in a university building in three days, after an unidentified 30-year-old man was found unresponsive and pronounced dead early Feb. 9. in the Renaissance parking garage at 835 Columbus Ave.

Friday’s incident was the third to involve heroin this academic year. On Nov. 6, two men were caught allegedly attempting to inject heroin in a bathroom in 716 Columbus Ave., the same building that houses the NUPD office, according to police reports.