Around 3:48 AM on August 5, 2023, Sergeant Casey Casbarro and Patrolmen William Pittelko, Randy Yevchak, and Robert Hahn with the West Milford Police Department responded to a report of a broken utility pole in the area of Westbrook Road and Snake Den Road. Patrolman Pittelko was the first to arrive on scene, and he observed a 2022 Subaru WRX that had apparently gone off the roadway and down an embankment. Shortly afterwards, he observed a female exiting the Subaru, who was later identified as 19-year-old Jessica Szewczyk. Patrolman Pittelko instructed Jessica to stay by the vehicle until he could locate a safe path around the live electrical wires and make contact with her. After ensuring there were no other occupants in the vehicle, Patrolman Pittelko escorted Jessica out of the woods to be medically evaluated. First responders arrived on scene and evaluated Jessica, but she ultimately declined to be transported to the hospital. Based on the severity of the accident, Patrolmen Yevchak and Hahn closed down the road. After closing the road, Patrolman Hahn approached Jessica and asked her to explain what happened. Jessica told him that she lost control of her vehicle before striking a utility pole and sliding down an embankment. Patrolman Hahn asked her where she was coming from and Jessica stated that she was heading home after leaving a friend’s house. While she initially denied consuming alcohol, she later admitted to consuming alcohol and not wearing her seat belt. Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Jessica was offered an opportunity to perform field sobriety exercises. Patrolman Pittelko started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and he observed 6/6 indicators of impairment. The next two field sobriety exercises were the Walk and Turn and One Leg Stand tests, and they were administered by Patrolman Hahn. Jessica did not exhibit any indicators of impairment during the Walk and Turn or One Leg Stand tests. The final field sobriety exercise was the Modified Romberg Balance test, and it was administered by Patrolman Yevchak. During this test, Patrolman Yevchak noticed that she was counting slightly slow, but she was not swaying or having any trouble keeping her balance. Based on the motor vehicle accident, her admission to consuming alcohol, and her being under the age of 21, Patrolman Hahn placed Jessica under arrest for driving under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law and Jessica was transported to the West Milford Police Department for further processing. At police HQ, Patrolman Hahn read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators to Jessica, and she agreed to submit breath samples for testing. Patrolman David Borowski administered the Alcotest machine, and her results indicated a BAC of 0.05%. While her BAC was under the legal limit of 0.08% for drivers over 21, it was still over the legal limit of 0.02% for drivers under 21. Patrolman Hahn initially issued her the following summonses: Operating under the influence, operating under the influence underage, reckless driving, traffic on marked lanes, and failure to wear seat equipment. She was then released to her boyfriend after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on her behalf. After a search of her vehicle subsequently yielded a 1.75 liter bottle of Jose Cuervo Blue Agave Silver Tequila with an open seal that was ¾ full, Patrolman Hahn issued Jessica an additional summons by mail for having an open container. --------------------------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Donations will be used to acquire more public footage related to law enforcement activities. Our content is educational and 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. 2001, c. 404). 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.

Tags: Jessica Szewczyk Jessica Szewczyk DWI DUI OVI OWI DWI arrest arrested for DWI arrested for DUI DUI arrest West Milford West Milford NJ Garfield Garfield nj Clifton Clifton NJ West Milford police department West Milford Police Passaic County Passaic County NJ north jersey Bergen County Bergen County NJ woman arrested girl arrested nj new jersey Subaru car accident embankment intoxicated drunk woman WRX Subaru WRX Westbrook Road