Cops: Man made crystal meth in his car

There isn't much that Americans won't do, or try to do, in their cars.

Like make crystal meth.

Wayne Police arrested 34-year old Christopher Poole of Barrington on Wednesday and charged him with possession and manufacture of methamphetamine, among other things. Wayne Police Capt. Laurence Martin said Poole was spotted pouring liquids from one bottle into another in his car, prompting patrol police to investigate. Once the interior of the car filled with smoke, they made their presence known. Martin said Poole admitted to police what he'd been up to.

While crystal meth is a problem in Northern New Jersey, Martin said it's an issue with finished product, and there aren't many cases of it being manufactured in Wayne. Heroin, he adds, is a much bigger problem.

According to the NJ Medical Examiner's office, heroin use in Passaic County is up 700% since 2011. There were five heroin-related deaths in 2011, compared with 40 last year.

Jerome King runs Well Of Hope Community Development Center in Paterson, which provides syringe access and HIV programs and gives addicts access to a nurse. King says that many addicts are escaping real-life issues such as poverty.

Both King and Captain Martin agree that as long as such conditions meet the flood of heroin in the area -- it's not hard to get -- that heroin-related issues will continue to plague Passaic County.