Drunk Woman Nearly Strikes a Cop With her Car Before DWI Arrest

On October 27, 2024 around 9:56 PM, Patrolmen Michael Bruno, Chang Han, and Theodore Christolias with the Palisades Park Police Department were clearing from a separate incident on East Palisades Boulevard. As Patrolman Christolias was crossing the street to get into his patrol car, the driver of a white 2020 Hyundai Tucson crossed over the double yellow lines and nearly struck him. He immediately got into his patrol car and initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of 7th Street and East Palisades Bouevard.

He made contact with the driver of the Hyundai, who was identified as 26-year-old Jay Lee. As he was speaking with Jay, he detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Jay denied consuming any alcohol. Based on his suspicion of impairment, he asked Jay to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Christolias started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Patrolman Christolias 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, Jay failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, took an incorrect number of steps, and turned improperly. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Jay failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete.

Based on her indicators of impairment, the odor of alcohol, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Jay was placed under arrest for operating under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded by for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law.

Patrolman Christolias initially transported her to the Leonia Police Department for further processing. The Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators was read to her and she agreed to submit breath samples. Following a 20-minute observation, she submitted breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.12%, which was above the legal limit of 0.08%.

After the Alcotest was complete, she was transported back to the Palisades Park Police Department for further processing. Once they finished processing her and generated her tickets, Jay was eventually released to her friend pending her court appearance after she signed the Potential Liability Warning on Jay’s behalf.

Patrolman Christolias issued her the following citations:

-Operating under the influence (39:4-50)

-Careless driving (39:4-97)

-Failure to yield right of way to a pedestrian (39:4-36)

-Driving an unregistered motor vehicle (39:3-4)

-Traffic on marked lanes (39:4-88)

Court records indicate that on March 6, 2025, Jay was found guilty of operating under the influence and the careless driving citation was downgraded to failure to obey a traffic control device (39:4-120.9). As a result of being found guilty, Jay had to use an ignition interlock device for 3 months, spend 12 hours at an intoxicated driver resource center, and pay a total of $930 in fines. The other 3 citations were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

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