SOBER 20-Year-Old Girl Blows a ZERO After DWI Arrest

Around 12:42 AM on May 23, 2025, Officer Michael Smith with the Washington Township Police Department (Morris County) observed a white 2018 Ford Mustang driving in the shoulder in the vicinity of 6 Route 46 West. He eventually closed the distance on the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop near the Speedway gas station in the neighboring town of Hackettstown. After the driver pulled over, Officer Smith exited his patrol car and made contact with the driver, who was identified as 20-year-old Daniela Bermudez Canaveral.

As he was speaking with Daniela, he detected the faint odor of alcohol and noticed that she was wearing a wristband indicating that she was over 21 years of age. However, her driver’s license indicated that she was 20 years of age. Daniela told the officer that she was coming from Mohawk House in Sparta where she worked, and denied consuming any alcohol earlier that evening. However, she would later admit to having some alcohol at a concert earlier that afternoon while also smoking marijuana. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Daniela was eventually asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises after Sergeant Roger Garrison arrived on scene.

The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Officer Smith observed 4/6 indicators of impairment. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Daniela failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and took an incorrect number of steps. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and she failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and did not count in the correct sequence.

Based on her traffic infractions, her somewhat reluctant admission to consuming some alcohol and marijuana earlier in the afternoon, and her performance on the field sobriety exercises, Daniela was placed under arrest for DWI. Her vehicle was impounded for a 12-hour hold according to John’s Law. Officer Smith transported Daniela to the neighboring Washington Township Police Department for further processing.

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 0.00%, which indicated that she was completely sober. After they finished processing Daniela, she was released to her father pending her court appearance after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Daniela’s behalf.

Sergeant Notte issued Daniela the following traffic tickets:

-Operating under the influence underage (39:4-50.14)

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

Court records indicate that on July 10, 2025, Daniela’s citation for operating under the influence underage was dismissed. The other citation for traffic on marked lanes was amended to unsafe operation (39:4-97.2), and she had to pay a total of $440 in fines.

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