3 men found dead after drug overdoses on Pittsburgh's South Side identified

PITTSBURGH — Authorities have identified the three men who died from overdoses at a South Side apartment early Sunday morning.

According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office, these are the names of the victims who died:

• Joel Pecina, 32
• Josue Serrano, 38
• Rubiel Clemente-Martinez, 32

Each man was pronounced dead by the medical examiner's office before 6 a.m. Sunday. Four others are in the hospital after being found.

On Monday, a man was arrested and charged in connection with the overdoses. He was identified as Peter Rene Sanchez-Montalvo.

>>STORY: ‘People immediately began to drop': Man arrested after overdoses at South Side apartment

All of the victims were male and were wearing orange wristbands, police said. The victims reportedly ingested the drugs at a location different from any event where orange wristbands were distributed.

A white powdered substance believed to be cocaine was distributed by Sanchez-Montalvo to people at an after party at the apartment, according to investigators. They had been at Insomnia Discotec in Brookline Saturday night.

>>RELATED: Police warning of tainted drugs after South Side overdose deaths

Investigators said seven men overdosed. Three died and four were taken to Mercy Hospital.

Police said five men were found in the apartment and one was in an elevator at the building on Tunnel Boulevard. Another man was found on the street at the corner of 26th and Carson streets.

One victim called 911 for help around 2 a.m., police said. The men who were taken to the hospital had conditions ranging from serious to critical.

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In a statement to Channel 11 News, the management of the apartment building said the following:

"The individuals that were involved in the incident were not residents of our community.  It is our understanding that they were acquaintances of a resident in good standing. It is also our understanding that the group had attended an outside event before returning to the apartment.

We express our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the affected individuals and send our thoughts and prayers to those who were transported to the hospital.

We are working closely with the local authorities. As this is an ongoing police investigation, all questions should be directed to the Pittsburgh Police Department."

Hospitals and first responders were alerted around the area to be on the lookout for any patients coming in with orange wristbands or exhibiting the same symptoms as the victims on the South Side, as a precaution.

Police were only calling it a medical situation before confirming the drug overdoses.

Residents at the apartment complex were noticeably concerned after the incident.

"It is kind of creepy that I could've pressed the elevator and there could've been a body in there or something," said Kori McCullen, a resident at the South Side Works City Apartments.

Another resident told Channel 11 News she saw just that.

That woman, who did not want to be identified, said she took the elevator to the first floor. When the doors opened, she saw several first responders surrounding a man who had overdosed.

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