19-Year-Old Arrested for DWI on her Birthday After Car Crash

Around 10:07 PM on July 29, 2023, Patrolman Joshua Rinck with the Sea Isle City Police Department was flagged down at the scene of a motor vehicle crash involving a 2017 Ford which had struck a parked Honda on the 100 block of 42nd Street. He made contact with the person whose vehicle as well as the driver who had allegedly struck his car. The driver of the 2017 Ford was identified as 19-year-old Olivia, and her friend was also a passenger inside that motor vehicle at the time that the parked car was struck.

Both parties were asked for her documents, and Patrolman Rinck asked both of them to explain what happened. After he finished his crash investigation, he began his DWI investigation because he suspected that Olivia may have been drinking. While Olivia initially denied drinking, she would later admit to consuming alcohol several hours earlier that evening. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Patrolman Rinck asked Olivia to perform field sobriety exercises.

The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Olivia failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and seemed to be falling over before the test was terminated.

Based on the motor vehicle collision, the odor of alcohol on her person, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Rinck placed Olivia under arrest for driving under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under Law. She was transported by Patrolman Rinck to the Sea Isle City Police Department for further processing.

At police HQ, Olivia was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.12%, which was over the legal limit of 0.08% for drivers over 21 and 12 times the legal limit of 0.01% for drivers under the age of 21. After they were finished with processing her, they initially planned to release Olivia to her parents after they signed the Potential Liability Warning Form on her behalf. However, she made some concerning remarks during a conversation with her mother, so she had to be transported to the hospital instead. She was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, operating under the influence underage, reckless driving, improper backing or turning in street, and open container

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Donations will be used to acquire more public footage related to law enforcement activities.

Our content is educational and in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2001, c. 404). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.