Cranford Woman Smoked Pot, Drank Before Thanksgiving Crash That Injured Family: PD

EDISON, NJ — The 31-year-old Cranford woman charged with DUI after police say she injured a family of three in a Thanksgiving eve crash on Rt. 1 told police she drank alcohol and smoked marijuana before the crash. She also had an open container of alcohol on the floor of the driver's seat, said police.

This is according to an affidavit released a week after the crash by Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.

According to the county prosecutor, at 1:32 a.m. on Nov. 28, Alyssa Figueredo, 31, of Cranford, drove through a red light on Rt. 1 north at Parsonage Road in Edison Township. She struck a car on Rt. 1 occupied by a family of three, a husband and wife from Edison and Woodbridge, and their 15-year-old daughter.

As of this week, the teen girl was still hospitalized in critical condition; she suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, said the prosecutor.

The car Figueredo hit had a green light and the right of way, said police.

"First arriving officers had indication that Figueredo was operating her vehicle while 4-50," read the affidavit. "4-50" is police code for driving while intoxicated. The first arriving officer on the scene said he observed an "open alcoholic beverage can open on the floorboard of the driver's seat."

Figueredo received minor injuries in the collision, and she was taken to JFK Medical Center. According to the affidavit, police interviewed her at the hospital, where she waived her Miranda rights and told officers "she was at a friend's house where she consumed alcoholic beverages and smoked marijuana prior to operating her vehicle."

As of Friday, her blood tests have not come back yet.

Two witnesses at the scene told police they saw Figueredo drive through the red light and hit the car, and camera footage from the NJ Dept. of Transportation also showed her car go through the red light, said police.

Figueredo was charged with three counts of third-degree assault by auto and driving under the influence, along with other traffic violations.

Initial Patch report: Woodbridge Woman Critical After She Was Hit By DUI Driver: Prosecutor (Nov. 29)

This week: Middlesex Co. Girl, 15, Still Critical After Hit By Alleged DUI Driver