18-Year-Old Girl Arrested for DWI While Driving to Pick Up her 19-Year-Old Sister From the Bar

Around 12:37 AM on July 30, 2023, Patrolman Panagiotis Tsekouras with the Morris Township Police Department observed a black 2014 Audi A5 speeding and swerving across lanes in the vicinity of 162 Ridgedale Avenue. He followed the vehicle and observed the driver continue to swerve as the vehicle turned onto John Street. He then activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, and the driver pulled over in front of the Fringe Lounge located at 4 John Street.

After the driver pulled over, Patrolman Tsekouras exited his patrol car and made contact with the driver, who was identified as 18-year-old Elizabeth Mizerek.As he was speaking with Elizabeth, he detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Elizabeth denied consuming any alcohol earlier that evening. However, when she was asked to recite the alphabet from “C” to “R” and count backwards from 45 to 25, she was unable to do so satisfactorily. Elizabeth later told the officer that she was coming to pick up her 19-year-old sister from the bar, and admitted that even her sister was too young to be drinking there. Based on his suspicion of impairment, she was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises.

Patrolman Tsekouras started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Patrolman Tsekouras observed 4/6 indicators of impairment. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Elizabeth 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, Elizabeth failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete.

Based on her traffic infractions, the odor of alcohol, and her inability to satisfactorily complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Tsekouras placed Elizabeth under arrest for driving under the influence. A search of the vehicle incident to arrest yielded multiple open containers. The vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. Elizabeth was initially transported to the neighboring Morristown Police Department for the administration of the breath test.

At the Morristown Police Department, Elizabeth was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and she agreed to submit breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.14%, which was above the legal limit of 0.08% for drivers over 21. Elizabeth was then transported to the Morris Township Police Department for further processing. After they finished processing her, Elizabeth was eventually released to her friend’s mother Marcy Wecker-Herbert pending her court appearance after she signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Elizabeth’s behalf.

Patrolman Tsekouras issued Elizabeth the following traffic citations:

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

-Reckless driving (39:4-96)

-Careless driving (39:4-97)

-Failure to keep right (39:4-82)

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

-Open container (39:4-51B)

Court records indicate that on September 13, 2023, Elizabeth was found guilty of operating under the influence. As a result of her conviction, she had to spend 12 hours at an intoxicated driver resource center and pay a total of $690 in fines. The other 5 citations were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Elizabeth was later arrested again for her second DWI in Rutherford, New Jersey on January 30, 2026. Her second DWI arrest happened after she drunkenly crashed her car after leaving a concert.

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