VOORHEES — Three Toms River men were found dead of a drug overdose in a South Jersey hotel room on Thursday, according to police.

The men were found inside a room at the Wingate Inn on Laurel Oak Road by police who had been called to check on them after they failed to show up for work. Hotel staff opened the door for police, officials said Saturday.

Police Capt. Carmen Del Palazzo told New Jersey 101.5 that the men were staying at the hotel while they worked on an HVAC project in the area. He would not disclose the identifies of the men but said two were 39 years old and the third was 40.

Del Palazzo hoped that this tragedy would save others amid an opioid addiction epidemic in the state.

"We're trying to shed some light on it, too. Maybe we can prevent someone from even starting drugs by having this talk again and saying, 'Hey, this is the reality of what happens out here,'" Del Palazzo said.

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