Crime & Safety

Drunk Driver Plows Through Construction Zone, Police Say

Police charged a 57-year-old man with DWI, after they say he crashed through a North Avenue work site Monday morning.

An intoxicated North Avenue man slammed his car through a work site, striking at least one other car and narrowly missing construction workers and two cops, according to authorities.

Thomas M. Fitzgerald, 57, drove up North Avenue towards Route 46 E.  and through police barricades into a construction zone where utility crews were making emergency repairs to a broken sewer line and two Fort Lee police officers were working a traffic detail, according to Fort Lee Police Chief Keith Bendul.

After crashing through the barricades at around 8 a.m., Fitzgerald proceeded to back up, striking at least one vehicle before being stopped, Bendul said. Police Officer John Bakas responded to the scene and placed him under arrest.

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Police charged Fitzgerald with DWI refusal to submit to a breathalyzer and careless driving. He was released on his own recognizance, pending a court date.


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