Drunk Woman Crashes After Leaving the Bar and Flees the Scene

Around 7:49 PM on November 5, 2025, Patrolman Daniel DeVito with the Randolph Township Police Department arrived in the parking lot of 246 Millbrook Avenue and made contact with the driver of a Ford Transit work van. The driver, Christopher Hasner, told Patrolman DeVito that his company vehicle was struck in the front by another vehicle when the driver ran through the stop sign at the jug handle from Route 10 West onto Millbrook Avenue. After the collision, the driver attempted to flee the scene. However, he was able to photograph the license plate when she stopped a red light.

Upon returning to headquarters, Patrolman DeVito queried the registration. The vehicle was determined to be a gray 2015 Subaru Outback and the owner was identified as Susan Gerecht. He also located a phone number for 27-year-old Amanda Gerecht, who matched the caller's description. He left voicemails for both phone numbers and requested callbacks. Her mother Susan contacted him shortly afterwards and confirmed that her daughter Amanda works in Randolph.

Around 9:10 PM, Patrolman DeVito called Amanda and advised her of the hit-and-run crash investigation. Amanda confirmed that she was driving her mother's Subaru and told him that the crash occurred after she left Crabby's bar, and that she was currently home with her boyfriend in Hopatcong. She denied consuming any alcohol at the bar, but she was advised to not drive if she had consumed any alcohol.

Around 10:40 PM, Patrolman DeVito was advised by dispatch that Amanda was in the parking lot of the station at 502 Millbrook Avenue. She was with her parents and her boyfriend. It was determined that her boyfriend Thomas Lamotta had driven her there in the Subaru, while her parents had arrived in a separate vehicle. As he was speaking with Amanda, he detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Amanda denied consuming any alcohol at the bar, but she was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. Following the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman DeVito determined that Amanda was impaired and placed her under arrest for DWI.

She was handcuffed, placed in the patrol car, and driven into the station through the sally port nearby. At the station, the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators was read to her, and she agreed to submit breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.081%, which was still above the legal limit of 0.08%. She then waived her Miranda rights and admitted to consuming 3 Martinis at Crabby's. She denied consuming any additional alcohol after leaving Crabby's. Once the officers finished processing her at the station, Amanda was released to Thomas Lamotta after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on her behalf.

Amanda was issued the following citations:

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

-Reckless driving (39:4-96)

-Careless driving (39:4-97)

-Disregarding a stop sign (39:4-144)

-Leaving the scene of an accident (39:4-129)

-Failure to report an accident (39:4-130)

As of March 23, 2026, Amanda's case is still pending before the Randolph Township Municipal Court.

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