Drunk Woman ‘Hydroplanes’ and Crashes her Dad’s Truck before DWI Arrest

Around 12:44 AM on November 23, 2024, officers with with the Harrison Township Police Department were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident on Cedar Road in the vicinity of Breakneck Road after a caller reported the accident. Officer Joseph Fiore first arrived on scene and noticed that a 2010 Chevrolet pickup truck had struck the guardrail and sustained disabling damages. The front-end of the truck was severely damaged on the passenger side, the passenger side tire was flat, and there was airbag deployment inside the vehicle.

Officer Fiore made contact with the driver, who was identified as 22-year-old Caitlyn. She told him that her vehicle had “hydroplaned” and attributed that as the cause of her crash, even though the roads were not covered with pooling water. Sergeant Christopher Cartella arrived on scene shortly afterwards and spoke with a witness who had pulled over before making contact with the driver.

Caitlyn exited the vehicle after being instructed to do so, and told the officers that she was driving back home after leaving her friend’s house. She admitted to drinking beer earlier that evening. Sergeant Cartella had noticed an open container of Coors Light inside her vehicle, but she initially denied having an open container. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Caitlyn was asked to perform field sobriety exercises.

Sergeant Cartella started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and 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, Caitlyn failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step while turning improperly. The last exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Caitlyn 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, her admission to consuming alcohol, the open container inside the vehicle, and her inability to satisfactorily complete the field sobriety exercises, Sergeant Cartella placed Caitlyn 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. Sergeant CArtella transported Caitlyn to the Harrison Township Police Department for further processing.

At police headquarters, Caitlyn was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and agreed to submit breath samples. Since the Alcotest machine was not working at their station, they had to transport her to the Pitman Police Department and use their machine instead. She eventually submitted 2 valid samples at 2:41 AM and 2:43 AM, approximately 2 hours after the crash. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.12%, which was still over the legal limit of 0.08%. She was then transported back to the Harrison Township Police Department and released to a sober adult after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Caitlyn’s behalf. Caitlyn was issued the following citations: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, traffic on marked lanes, and DWI in a school zone

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