Danger on the Road: Drunk Driver with Three Minors Travels Wrong Way on NJ Highway

Danger on the Road: Drunk Driver with Three Minors Travels Wrong Way on NJ Highway

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A New York man was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after police said they spotted him traveling the wrong way on Route 46 with three juveniles inside his vehicle, authorities announced Thursday.

The incident occurred around 2 a.m. Aug. 30, according to the Fairfield Police Department.

An officer on patrol reportedly saw a black Dodge Durango heading west in the eastbound lanes of the highway.

The officer stopped the vehicle in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald’s and approached the driver, identified as 33-year-old Miguel Nocelo-Soto of the Bronx, New York. Police said the driver had “bloodshot and watery eyes.”

Inside the SUV, the officer found three juveniles, ages 17, 12 and 1, seated in the back, authorities said.

Nocelo-Soto allegedly told the officer he had consumed two beers. Police said several beer cans were found inside the vehicle, including an unopened can in the door next to the driver.

The officer asked Nocelo-Soto to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety tests, which police said he failed to complete satisfactorily.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and endangering the welfare of a child. A family member arrived at the scene and took custody of the three children.

Police impounded the vehicle under John’s Law.

Nocelo-Soto was taken to the West Caldwell Police Department, where officers administered breath tests that indicated his blood alcohol concentration was above the legal limit, authorities said.

He was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and issued several motor vehicle summonses, including for driving under the influence, DWI with a minor passenger, driving the wrong way on a one-way highway, consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, reckless driving, careless driving, improper use of a divided highway and having an open container of alcohol.

Fairfield police said the case has been referred to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency for further investigation.