Hoboken Bartender Gets Arrested for DWI after Leaving Bar

On December 30, 2023 around 4:40 AM, Officers Michael Straten and Anthony Ingraffia with the Hoboken Police Department observed a 2007 Kia going the wrong-way on 1st street and then driving at a high rate of speed and running through multiple red lights on Washington Street northbound. They activated their emergency lights and eventually stopped the vehicle at Washington Street between 8th Street and 9th Street. As they approached the vehicle, they made contact with the driver, who was identified as 23-year-old Courtney Wasilewski, along with her 23-year-old passenger.

Officer Straten asked Courtney for her license, registration, and insurance, but she told him that she did not have her license. She initially claimed that she had left her shift at Madd Hatter, a sports bar in Hoboken, although she would later tell the officers that she worked at a different place. As they were interacting with the driver, they detected the odor of alcohol and asked Courtney if she had consumed any alcohol. Courtney initially denied having consumed alcohol, but she would later admit to having 2 shots earlier that evening. Based on their suspicion of impairment, they called for Officer Anthony Rutkowski to come and administer field sobriety exercises.

Officer Rutkowski started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, he observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Courtney stepped out of line once and did not touch heel-to-toe on each step. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Courtney displayed a lack of balance, put her foot down 3 times, and did not count in the correct sequence.

Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol earlier that evening, and her inability to perform the field sobriety exercises, Courtney was placed under arrest for driving while intoxicated. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. Officers Rutkowski and Ingraffia transported Courtney to the Hoboken Police Department for further processing.

At the police station, Courtney was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.14%, which was nearly double the legal limit of 0.08%. Around 7:20 AM, Courtney was released to her mother around pending her court appearance after she signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Courtney’s behalf. Officer Straten issued her the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, failure to observe traffic signal, and failure to exhibit documents (driver’s license)

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