Brick Woman Sideswiped Trooper's Car While Drunk, Talking On Phone: State Police

Eatontown, NJ -- A Brick Township woman has been charged with drunk driving and driving while suspended after she sideswiped a New Jersey State Police car while talking on her cell phone, State Police said.

Kristen Szatmary, 31, of Brick, was charged Monday after the incident, New Jersey State Police said in a post on the department's Facebook page.

She was southbound on Route 35 in Eatontown "seven minutes after noon," state police said, when her Ford Focus hit the side of the trooper's car. The crash was witnessed by a second trooper who was traveling behind the car that was struck, state police said.

Szatmary failed field sobriety tests, which police said she was asked to perform because she displayed signs of intoxication, police said, and she was arrested without incident.

There were no injuries, police said.

Szatmary was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while suspended, reckless driving, and driving while using a cell phone without a hands-free device, state police said. She was released pending a court appearance.

"When you get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, your odds of getting into a crash go up," state police said in the post. "When you get behind the wheel, driving with only one hand while talking on the phone, your odds of getting into a crash go up. When you do both, well, you get the point."

"These types of driving practices increase your odds of seriously injuring or killing yourself or someone else," the post said. "It’s one of the few times you want the odds NOT in your favor. Play these odds and you may end up in handcuffs or worse."

"You may be having a bad day, but you’re not having a driving while intoxicated, while driving while suspended, while talking on your phone as you sideswipe a New Jersey State Trooper bad day," the post said.

(Image via Shutterstock)