Around 10:43 PM on December 4, 2023, the Pequannock Township Police Department received a call from an employee at the QuickChek located at 29 Jackson Avenue informing them that a visibly intoxicated female was sitting inside her vehicle in the parking lot. The witness reported that the vehicle struck the curb while the driver pulled into the parking lot and she observed the driver stumbling in the parking lot while returning to the vehicle. As he was arriving on scene, Patrolman Brian Parigi noticed a gray 2013 Kia Optima matching the witness description fail to signal while making a left turn on Jackson Avenue in violation of 39:4-126. As he began pursuing the vehicle, he observed the driver depressing her brakes multiple times for no apparent reason in violation of 39:4-56 (delaying traffic), which could have caused an accident with another vehicle behind her. A fter the vehicle abruptly turned left onto Sage Road, Patrolman Parigi activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver kept driving before eventually coming to a stop near the intersection of Elm Road and Kenmore Road. After she pulled over, Patrolman Parigi approached the vehicle to make contact with the driver, who was identified as 19-year-old Laura. Sergeant James Dericks and Patrolman Stephen Knatz also arrived on scene to assist with the traffic stop shortly afterwards. Laura was asked to exit the vehicle. She told them that she was headed home, but denied consuming any alcohol. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Patrolman Parigi asked Laura to perform field sobriety exercises. The first exercise was the recitation of the alphabet from “B” to “K” and she failed to do so in the correct sequence. The second exercise was counting backwards from 52 to 36, and she was unable to perform this exercise in the correct sequence as well. The third exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and Patrolman Parigi observed the lack of smooth, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. He also observed vertical gaze nystagmus in both eyes. The fourth exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Laura failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and took an incorrect number of steps. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Laura failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion, did not count as instructed, and nearly fell over multiple times. Based on the witness statement, her erratic driving, the odor of alcohol, and her inability to adequately complete the field sobriety exercises, Patrolman Parigi placed Laura under arrest for driving under the influence. Her vehicle was impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law. She was initially transported by Patrolman Parigi to the Riverdale Police Department for the administration of the Alcotest. At the Riverdale Police Department, Laura was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators and agreed to submit breath samples for testing. The Alcotest machine was administered by Riverdale Police Sergeant Andrew Duffy. Her results indicated a BAC of 0.23%, which was nearly triple the legal limit of 0.08% for drivers over 21 and 23 times the legal limit of 0.01% for drivers under 21. Laura was then transported back to the Pequannock Township Police Department for further processing and eventually released to her mother after she signed the Potential Liability Warning Form on Laura’s behalf. She was issued the following summonses: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, delaying traffic, and failure to give proper signal ------------------------------------------------ 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.

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