Drunk Girl Drives the Officers Crazy During DWI Arrest After Hit-and-Run Crash

On April 7, 2025 around 1:23 AM, Patrolmen Robert Then, Robert Loewrigkeit, Stephen Kim, and Julio Mancilla with the Palisades Park Police Department were dispatched to the area of Bergen Boulevard and East Central Boulevard on a report of a motor vehicle accident. Upon canvassing the area, Patrolman Then located a disabled 2015 Dodge Dart at the intersection of East Central Boulevard and 14th Street. Another officer traced the fluid trail of the vehicle, and it appeared that her vehicle struck a parked car on Central Boulevard on Fort Lee before crossing over into Palisades Park and becoming disabled.

Patrolman Then made contact with the driver of the Dodge, who was identified as 27-year-old Chennelle. As he was speaking with Chennelle, he detected the odor of alcohol and located numerous cannabis products. Chennelle admitted to consuming alcohol earlier that evening, and she would later tell the officers that she worked at a cannabis dispensary. Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Chennelle was asked to perform field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Then 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, Chennelle failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, took an incorrect number of steps, and failed to turn. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Chennelle 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 indicators of impairment, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Chennelle 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 Then initially transported her to the Palisades Park 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 but the machine was not working properly. As a result, she had to be transported to the Ridgefield Police Department to use their Alcotest machine. Her Alcotest results there indicated a BAC level of 0.16%, which was double 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, Chennelle was eventually released to a sober adult pending her court appearance after they signed the Potential Liability Warning on Chennelle’s behalf.

Patrolman Then issued her the following citations:

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

-Careless driving (39:4-97)

-Failure to possess driver insurance card (39:3-29C)

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