Woman Gets Drunk at a Retirement Party

Around 10:53 PM on October 3, 2025, Officer Julian Melahn with the Denville Township Police Department observed a white 1999 Lexus ES3 drive past him at a high rate of speed in front of Denville Bear and Body Service (297 W Main Street). He pulled into W Main Street (Route 46 West) and began closing the gap. As he was following the vehicle, he observed the driver swerving across lanes 2 separate times. He eventually activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, and the driver pulled over in front of D&M Auto Body (352 E Main Street) in Rockaway Borough.

Officer Melahn exited his patrol car and made contact with the driver, who was identified as Madelyn Lopez. She claimed that she was coming from a retirement party in Wayne earlier that evening. As he was speaking with Madelyn, he detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. When he asked her if she had anything to drink, she admitted to consuming 2 glasses of wine. Base on his suspicion of impairment, he asked Madelyn to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises, which confirmed his suspicions of impairment.

Officer Melahn started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Officer Melahn 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, Madelyn failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step and turned improperly. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Madelyn failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete.

Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, and her indicators of impairment, Madelyn was placed under arrest for DWI. Her vehicle was impounded for a 12-hour hold according to John’s Law. Madelyn was transported to the Denville Township Police Department for further processing.

At the station, the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators was read to her, but she refused to submit breath samples. After the officers finished processing her, she was eventually released to Maritza Lopez after she signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Madelyn’s behalf.

Madelyn was issued the following citations:

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

-Refusal to submit to chemical test (39:4-50.4A)

-Consent to take samples of breath (39:4-50.2)

-Reckless driving (39:4-96)

-Careless driving (39:4-97)

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

-Safety glass requirement (39:3-75)

As of April 12, 2026, Madelyn’s case is still pending before the Denville Township Municipal Court.

----------------------------------------------

Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is shared for educational and news gathering purposes. We are in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2001, c. 404). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.