Around 12:27 AM on October 21, 2024, Patrolman Dante Focarelli with the Princeton Police Department was on patrol on Nassau Street near the intersection of University Place. He observed a red 2010 Honda CR-V following closely behind him and crossing the double yellow lines before eventually passing his vehicle. He continued to follow the vehicle as the driver made a left turn onto Mercer Street. He eventually initiated a traffic stop as the driver continued onto Mercer Road from Mercer Street, and the driver continued to drive for approximately 1200 feet after he activated his emergency lights before pulling into a driveway on Mercer Street. Patrolman Focarelli made contact with the driver of the Honda, who was identified as 22-year-old Litzy. As he was speaking with Litzy, he detected the odor of alcohol and observed other indicators of impairment. Litzy told him that she was headed to see her ex-boyfriend. She did admit to consuming alcohol earlier that evening before operating a motor vehicle. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Patrolman Focarelli asked her to perform 2 simple exercises which would not require exiting the vehicle. Litzy was asked to recite the alphabet from “E” to “T” and she did so satisfactorily. She was then asked to count backwards from “75” to “49” but she did not do so perfectly. Litzy was then asked to exit the vehicle and perform additional field sobriety exercises. Patrolman Focarelli started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. The third exercise was the One Leg Stand test. She did not perform all field sobriety exercises in a satisfactory manner. Based on her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol, and her inability to satisfactorily complete the field sobriety exercises, Litzy was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. After she was placed under arrest and placed in the patrol car, her vehicle was impounded for a 12-hour hold according to John’s Law. Patrolman Focarelli transported Litzy to the Princeton Police Department for further processing, while Patrolman Rund remained on scene until the vehicle could be towed by Lakeside Towing. At the station, Litzy was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and she agreed to submit breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.139%, which was nearly double the legal limit of 0.08%. After they were finished processing Litzy, she was released to her ex-boyfriend pending her court appearance after he signed the Potential Liability Warning on Litzy’s behalf. Patrolman Focarelli issued Litzy the following citations: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, following too closely, failure to keep right, and failure to update address ---------------------------------------------- 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.

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