Woman Arrested for Alleged DWI After Crashing Into a Building

Around 1:38 AM on November 15, 2024, officers with the Hoboken Police Department responded to a motor vehicle accident on Bloomfield Street. Tbey arrived on scene and noticed that a white 2017 Lexus had struck a parked car as well as the stairs to a residential address. They made contact with the driver, who was identified as Margarita, along with her passenger.

Margarita told the officers that she was coming from an event, and that she hit the steps after she swerved to avoid running over a cat. She was asked if she had anything to drink, but she denied consuming alcohol earlier that evening. However, based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Officer Bianca Arroyo soon arrived on scene to administer the field sobriety exercises.

Officer Arroyo led Margarita to the sidewalk nearby, and she started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Margarita failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step while taking an incorrect number of steps and turning improperly. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Margarita failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete.

Based on the motor vehicle crash and her inability to satisfactorily complete the field sobriety exercises, Officer Arroyo placed Margarita under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was placed under arrest, her vehicle was impounded for a 12-hour hold according to John’s Law. The officers transported Margarita to the Hoboken Police Department for further processing.

At police headquarters, Margarita was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, but she refused to submit breath samples. Margarita complained of neck pain at police HQ, so she was transported to Hoboken University Medical Center (HUMC) for further evaluation. Margarita was issued the following citations: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, refusal to submit breath samples, and consent to take samples of breath

As of December 18, 2024, Margarita's case is still pending in court.

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