Crime & Safety

Driver Hits Pole, Charged With DWI In Hackettstown: Police

The man took off on foot, running away from the accident scene, Hacketstown Police reported.

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — A man was charged with DWI, after driving into a utility pole, Hackettstown Police said.

Bryan S. Morales-Mejia, 19, of Mansfield Township, was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, reckless driving, careless driving and possession of an open alcoholic beverage container, the police department reported.

Sgt. Darren Tynan, a spokesperson for the department, said that this past Sunday at about 1:50 a.m., responding officers were called to the scene of a car crash on Grand Avenue, told before they arrived that the driver had taken off on foot.

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As they were on their way, Tynan detailed in a news release that one of the officers saw Morales-Mejia, who matched the description given to the police department, running on Washington Street in the direction of West Moore Street.

When an officer approached Morales-Mejia, Tynan stated, they “detected the odor of alcoholic beverage.”

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No one was injured in the accident, but “several empty alcoholic beverage containers” were inside Morales-Mejia’s car, Tynan said.

The police department reported on Tuesday that Morales-Mejia now awaits an upcoming court appearance to respond to the charges.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.

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