ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A New York resident was arrested and charged with drunk driving after he was spotted traveling the wrong way on Route 46 in North Jersey with three juveniles in the car, authorities announced Thursday.
The arrest took place on Aug. 30 around 2 a.m., according to the Fairfield Police Department.
An officer on patrol saw a black Dodge Durango traveling westbound on the eastbound portion of the highway.
The officer pulled the car over in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald's restaurant and approached the driver – later identified as Miguel Nocelo-Soto, 33, of the Bronx, NY – noting that Nocelo-Soto had "bloodshot and watery eyes," authorities said.
The officer also saw three minors – ages 17, 12 and 1-year-old – sitting in the rear of the vehicle.
When asked, Nocelo-Soto allegedly told the officer that he consumed two beers. Police found multiple cans of beer in the vehicle, including an unopened can in the door panel beside him, authorities said.
The officer told Nocelo-Soto to get out of the car for a field sobriety test – which he wasn't able to complete satisfactorily, police said.
The officer arrested Nocelo-Soto, who was charged with driving while intoxicated and endangering the welfare of a child. A family member came to the scene and took custody of the children.
The vehicle was impounded under John's Law.
Nocelo-Soto was transported to the West Caldwell Police Department, where police took breath samples and found his blood alcohol concentration to be over the legal limit.
Nocelo-Soto was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated with a minor passenger in the vehicle, driving the wrong way on a one-way highway, consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, reckless driving, careless driving, improper use of a divided highway, and having an open container of alcohol.
The matter has been referred to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency for further investigation, Fairfield police said.
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