Caldwell Man Gets DUI Charge On Rt. 46; Weapons In Car: Police

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Fairfield police arrested a Caldwell man and charged him with DUI after finding a BB gun, handcuffs, a machete, a hunting knife and a nightstick in his car during a traffic stop on Route 46 last week, authorities said.

According to the Fairfield Police Department, the incident took place around 12:39 a.m. on Nov. 8, when an officer monitoring traffic in the area allegedly saw a 2011 Dodge pickup truck traveling west on Rt. 46 near the Crown Plaza hotel.

Police said that the truck had an unauthorized LED off-road light on, and that the light was allegedly blinding oncoming traffic. The officer began to follow the truck, which abruptly went across three travel lanes and exited onto Two Bridges Road, authorities said.

The officer stopped the truck, finding Alan Rosenblatt, 64, of Caldwell, behind the wheel. According to the officer, he detected the odor of alcohol on Rosenblatt’s breath and noted that he had “bloodshot and watery” eyes. In addition, Rosenblatt’s eyelids were “droopy” and his speech was slow and slurry, police alleged.

Authorities said that the officer conducted a field sobriety test, eventually arresting Rosenblatt for allegedly driving while under the influence. While handcuffing Rosenblatt, the officer saw that he was wearing a holster on his belt with no handgun in it.

Further investigation led to the discovery of:

• A 6mm Walther PPQ spring-loaded BB gun (found on the floor of the pickup truck)
• 2 sets of handcuffs
• A large machete
• A 12-inch hunting knife
• A wooden nightstick

Police seized the above items and impounded the vehicle pursuant to John’s Law, which gives law enforcement officers in New Jersey the authority to seize the vehicles of suspected drunken drivers and hold them for up to 12 hours.

Rosenblatt was transported to headquarters for breath testing and processing, authorities said.

Police charged Rosenblatt with driving under the influence and illegal possession of an air/spring handgun and handcuffs. He was also charged with careless driving, failure to maintain a lane, having unapproved equipment on his vehicle and having unclear plates.

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Photo: Fairfield Police Department