Report: OEM Coordinator Facing DWI Charges

Stephen Ferraro, the Fort Lee Office of Emergency Management coordinator, is currently awaiting trial on charges of drunk driving stemming from a February arrest, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

Ferraro, also a retired police captain, was driving a Jeep owned by the borough of Fort Lee when stopped by police on Palisade Avenue in Cliffside Park the night of February 26. The arresting officer reported observing the odor of alcohol, and administered a field sobriety test.

Ferraro and his attorney, Albert H. Wunsch III, are contesting the charges, pointing to poor weather conditions that night that affected both his driving and performance on the sobriety test.

“His actions behind the wheel were dictated by the weather and road conditions and traffic conditions at the time,” Wunsch told NorthJersey.com, adding that the officer on video footage of the arrest appears to also have had difficulty administering the test.

Ferraro has been charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor or drugs, driving while intoxicated on school property or within a thousand feet of a school, reckless driving, and unsafely changing lanes.

Though Ferraro no longer has access to the vehicle, he continues in his position as coordinator of the OEM, for which he receives a $7,500 annual stipend.

The case has been transferred to Teterboro, and no date has been set for a hearing.