By Abby Gibson
Walkers were greeted by a salty breeze and warm sunshine at the 10th annual Brower Walk at Jones Beach, with each step honoring those who died from substance abuse and reflecting participants’ hope for change.
The Brower Walk took place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 13 at Jones Beach State Park, Field 1. The walk is held each year in memory of John Brower Jr., who died of a drug overdose in June 2014. The event draws families, friends and community members to share a day of remembrance, advocacy and hope.
“When John passed, we decided we were going to try to make a difference instead of just sweeping it under the rug,” Brower Sr. said. “We want to make it known that this is a problem out there and that you don’t have to be embarrassed, that you should really try and help other people.”
Participants walked along the boardwalk, reflecting on their loved ones while also engaging in community support. The event raises money through raffle tickets and offers free Narcan training to foster community awareness. Narcan, a brand name for naloxone, is a life-saving drug that can help treat a narcotic overdose, as it blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and restores breathing.
The Brower Walk was organized as a partnership between the John Brower Jr. Foundation, created in 2015, and Outreach. Brower Sr. and his wife, Jody, partnered with Outreach in 2015 to create the foundation to spread awareness. Outreach is a substance abuse rehabilitation organization that helps teenagers and young adults recover through residential treatment programs, outpatient and mental health treatment. The foundation and Outreach work together to help others struggling with addiction and to preserve John Brower Jr.’s memory.
Each year, the walk raises around $15,000 for Outreach to help improve its programs and services.
The walk helps to honor more than Brower, as multiple families pay homage to their loved ones lost to addiction. Among them was the Dirosse family, who walked in honor of Nick Dirosse, who died of an overdose in June 2019. Nick’s sister, Gabriella Dirosse, said her brother loved cars, football and was “someone that me and all my siblings loved being around.”
Dirosse, 19, said the walk “has definitely made a difference.” She noted that Narcan is distributed at the event, and many participants feel “an extra layer” of security having the drug antidote in their cars. If “you see something happening to someone,” she said, “you’re able to help them and spread more awareness about it because I feel like sometimes it’s just pushed under the rug.”
Virginia Capputo, a member of Nick’s family, said collective effort is key in addressing substance abuse. “I think we all need to do our part, not just the big corporations,” she said, “and do whatever little bit we can and contribute to events like this.”
Outreach will open a new rehabilitation facility on Oct. 30 in Brentwood designed for people ages 18 to 26 struggling with substance abuse. The facility will focus on helping adolescents and young adults who struggle with addiction during their formative years.
Of the facility, Daniella Arciello, 19, said, “I think it’s a good thing to have for everybody no matter what age. No matter what age, I think everybody should have these resources available to them.”
The Office of New York State Comptroller released data in November 2022 showing an upward trend in New York’s drug overdose deaths, which declined after a state of emergency was declared in October 2017, but then increased during the pandemic.
In May 2025, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control showing a 32% drop in drug-related deaths in 2024 compared to 2023.
Of the walk, Brower Sr. said, “What we can do going forward is continue to do this as long as I am able. We will continue this walk, and we’re not giving up this fight.”
