Crime & Safety
Drunk Driver Slams Truck Into Spring Lake Boardwalk, Police Say
Man charged with driving drunk after he drove Ford pickup into the Spring Lake boardwalk, causing "significant damage," police said.
SPRING LAKE, NJ —A Spring Lake man was charged with drunk driving after the Ford pickup he was operating crashed into railings on the Spring Lake boardwalk at Remsen Avenue on Monday morning.
The incident caused significant damage, police said, and the boardwalk had been temporarily closed between Pitney Avenue and Howell Avenue to assess the damage to be repaired, police said on social media Monday.
On Tuesday, borough officials said the boardwalk is temporarily fixed, but will be permanently fixed once all of the materials are available, according to Borough Clerk Dina M. Zahorsky. The boardwalk in that area is now usable, she said.
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Police were called at 12:18 a.m. Monday, Feb. 5, by a witness who saw a person driving the truck, which then left the roadway and crashed through the boardwalk on Ocean Avenue, police said.
The witness also reported that the truck was attempting to leave the scene, police said.
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Patrol officers arrived at the crash site to find the driver, and sole occupant of the vehicle, Julian Uribe Munoz, 39, Spring Lake, still at the scene.
The disabled pickup truck was still lodged on the edge of the boardwalk after having crashed through multiple railings and an access ramp. No other vehicles or pedestrians were involved in the crash.
The boardwalk sustained significant damage and the repairs are being assessed by the Spring Lake Department of Public Works, police said.
Following an investigation, Munoz was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while suspended, being an unlicensed driver and multiple other related traffic offenses, police said. He was processed and released in accordance with John’s Law.
The owner of the truck, Marvin Cruz-Palma, 28, Passaic, was charged with multiple offenses, including allowing a suspended driver to operate a motor vehicle and allowing a vehicle to be operated without a required interlock device, police said.
Munoz was transported by the Spring Lake First Aid for a medical evaluation at a local hospital.
The arrest and investigation are being handled by Patrolman Joseph Liddy.
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