Fight Attempt Leads to Crash, Drunken Driving Charges

An apparent fight led to an accident and drunken driving charges early Wednesday morning, Hackettstown Police said.

According to Sgt. Darren Tynan, two Pennsylvania men pursued a Morris County resident after an apparent fight in Dover early Wednesday morning.

Alberto Ventura, 29, of Cedar Knolls, was traveling northbound on Route 604 in a 2012 Dodge while being followed by a 2011 Toyota driven by Oswaldo Veliz, 24, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., and a passenger, Marco Morales, 34, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., Tynan said.

Ventura turned onto Cook Street in an attempt to lose Veliz, but lost control of his vehicle due to speed and struck a street sign shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday, Tynan said.

No one was injured and Veliz pulled over when the accident occurred, Tynan said.

Officers detected Veliz was under the influence of alcohol and he was unable to perform field sobriety tests, Tynan said.

Veliz was charged with driving while intoxicated, careless driving and being an unlicensed driver. Morales was charged with allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a motor vehicle and allowing an intoxicated person operate a motor vehicle. Ventura was charged for being an unlicensed driver.