Hazlet Man Charged With DWI On Goethals Bridge

STATEN ISLAND, NJ — A Hazlet man was arrested late Saturday night after Port Authority police said he was driving drunk eastbound in a westbound lane connecting to the newly-opened span of the Goethals Bridge.

The first span of the new Goethals Bridge just opened for the first time this past Saturday afternoon. The Goethals now has much wider lanes, much to the delight of drivers. At about 4 a.m. on Sunday, Port Authority Police Sergeant Matt Sheehan said he noticed a 2013 Dodge Durango headed the wrong way on a one-way Goethals Road off-ramp in Staten Island.

Sgt. Sheehan followed the Dodge as it continued to travel through traffic cones on a closed section of the Staten Island Expressway westbound. The section was closed due to ongoing bridge construction. The Dodge, driven by Jason A. Smith, of Hazlet, pulled over under the West Shore Expressway off-ramp, said Port Authority police public information officer Joseph Pentangelo.

Smith, 26, got out of his car and grasped the side of the Durango to steady himself, Pentangelo said. His speech was slurred and he seemed disoriented, the officer said. The officer tried to do a field sobriety test, but he had to end it early after Smith nearly fell over. Smith, of Essex Avenue in Hazlet, refused a breathalyzer test and was arrested at the scene. He was charged with DWI and driving while impaired.

Photo: Goethals Bridge westbound with construction of new on the south side Date: 22 June 2016 Author: Xnatedawgx/Wikimedia Commons