A police pursuit in New Jersey on the evening of Jan. 2 led to eluding charges for a 23-year-old Toms River man and a drunk driving count for a New York resident who happened across the scene. The sequence of events began at about 8:16 p.m. on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 195 near Upper Freehold when New Jersey State Police troopers attempted to pull over a Nissan sedan for an unspecified traffic violation.
Lights and sirens
According to a NJSP report, the troopers activated their vehicle’s lights and sirens when the driver of the Nissan failed to pull over as directed. The ensuing pursuit was a short one. After following the car for approximately one mile, troopers say that the man behind the wheel of the Nissan pulled his car onto the center median and came to a stop. They then took him into custody and issued him tickets for several motor vehicle violations. While the investigation was being conducted, the troopers parked a NJSP cruiser in the right lane and left its emergency lights on.
SUV strikes police vehicle
A few minutes later, the troopers were startled by a loud noise. They turned to find that the noise was made by a Chevrolet SUV striking the parked police cruiser. Nobody was sitting in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Troopers took the 36-year-old Staten Island resident behind the wheel of the SUV into custody on a drunk driving charge after determining that he was intoxicated. Initial reports do not indicate what led the troopers to come to this conclusion.
Drink driving cases involving accidents
The DUI penalties in New Jersey may be more severe when the defendant causes a motor vehicle accident. If you crash your vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol, an experienced criminal defense attorney could argue that a more lenient sentence is warranted if the facts suggest that adverse weather conditions, a poor road surface or the negligence of another person caused the accident. An attorney could also challenge the toxicology evidence supporting the drunk driving charge if the equipment used may have been defective or you suffer from a medical condition that could have influenced the results.