Around 2:19 AM on February 22, 2026, officers with the West New York Police Department were operating a DWI checkpoint at 5200 Kennedy Boulevard to screen for impaired drivers. Around this time, Lieutenant Carlos Henriquez made contact with the driver of a white 2019 Honda Fit who appeared to be impaired after she pulled into the parking lot. The driver, eventually identified as Maria Marquez, admitted to consuming 2 beers earlier that evening. He detected the odor of alcohol and noticed that she was having difficulty locating her documents. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Maria was asked to exit the vehicle and perform field sobriety exercises. The first exercise was the Horizontal Haze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Lieutenant Henriquez observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Maria failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and took and incorrect number of steps. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Maria failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion. Based on the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol earlier that evening, and her inability to satisfactorily perform the field sobriety exercises, Maria was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. Lieutenant Henriquez transported Maria to the West New York Police Department for further processing. At the station, the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators was read to Maria, but she failed to submit adequate breath samples. After they finished processing Maria, she was eventually released to a sober adult pending her court appearance after they signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Maria’s behalf. Maria was issued the following citations: -Operating under the influence (39:4-50) -Consent to take samples of breath (39:4-50.2) -No liability insurance coverage (39:6B-2) As of September 22, 2026, Maria’s case is still pending before the West New York Municipal Court. ---------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is shared for educational and news gathering purposes. We are in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2024, c.16). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.

Maria Marquez Maria Marquez DWI DUI OVI OWI DWI arrest arrested for DWI arrested for DUI DUI arrest West New York Union City Guttenberg Weehawken Hoboken North Bergen Hudson County drunk immigrant illegal immigrant illegal alien drunk mom West New York Police Department West New York Police girl arrested woman arrested drunken driver extremely intoxicated Honda Honda Fit Kennedy Boulevard no English