On December 21, 2025 around 12:32 AM, Officer Christian Leach with the Mount Olive Police Department responded to St. James Avenue on a report of a woman attempting to flee from a hit-and-run crash. Officer Leach first made contact with Jeffrey Horsley, who informed him that another driver had attempted to improperly pass him on Gold Mine Road. As she attempted to pass him, she allegedly struck his vehicle on the passenger side. There was visible damage on the driver side to his 2013 Ford Taurus. Officer Leach then made contact with the driver of the black 2016 Nissan Rogue, the vehicle that had allegedly struck the Ford Taurus. The suspect, later identified as Ashley Vega, stated that she had no recollection of striking his car. As he was speaking with her, he observed indicators of impairment. Ashley told the officer that she was headed to her daughter’s boyfriend’s house, and later admitted to consuming alcohol at a club in Elizabeth, NJ. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Ashley was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn. During the Walk and Turn test, Ashley failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and failed to keep her arms at her sides. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Ashley failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion. Based on the motor vehicle accident involving another driver, her admission to consuming alcohol earlier that evening, and her inability to satisfactorily complete the field sobriety exercises, Officer Leach placed Ashley under arrest for driving under the influence. Her vehicle was not impounded for a mandatory 12-hour hold under John’s Law because her daughter took responsibility for the car. Officer Leach transported Ashley to the Mount Olive Police Department for further processing. At the Mount Olive Police Department, Ashley was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and agreed to submit breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.16%, which was double the legal limit of 0.08%. When the officers were finished with processing her, Ashley was released to her daughter pending her court appearance after she signed the Potential Liability Warning form on Ashley’s behalf. Officer Leach issued her the following citations: -Operating under the influence (39:4-50) -Leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage (39:4-129B) -Reckless driving (39:4-96) -Failure to report accident (39:4-130) ------------------------------------------ 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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