NEW YORK — Ralph Ortiz loved his family, dancing, freestyle music and handball. He taught his sons basketball and how to navigate the streets of the Bronx. He was a near-constant flirt, sometimes to the embarrassment of his kids. He was strong, prideful and funny.
He was also a heroin addict — and died of an overdose in March 2022.
Ortiz, 60, lived in Mott Haven, a section of the Bronx that has been torn apart by the worsening crisis of overdose deaths and addiction. The crisis has been fueled by fentanyl and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s exploded in New York City and across the nation.
