Forked River Man Charged With Drunken Driving After Splitting Utility Pole In Barnegat

Barnegat police have charged a Forked River man with drunk driving after he struck a utility pole, split it in three, hit two street signs, then left the scene of the accident, Lt. Keith Germain said.

Patrolman James O’Hearn and Sgt. Jeffrey Ryan responded to the scene at 12:40 p.m. on March 23 on a report of a telephone pole down with wires on the roadway near Shoreline Pools, he said.

The officers determined that Andrew Wrazen, 32, was driving his 2003 Jeep Cherokee southbound on Route 9 when he left the roadway, drove through the utility pole, hit two, two street signs, and continued south on Route 9 until his vehicle became disabled approximately one quarter of a mile from the scene, Germain said.

O’Hearn determined that Wrazen - who was treated for minor injuries at the scene by Quality Medical Services - was under the influence of alcohol and placed him under arrest for DWI. Wrazen’s vehicle was impounded in accordance with John’s Law. Wrazen also charged with failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to report an accident, he said.

Roughly 3,800 residents and six traffic lights were without power for several hours.

Route 9 currently remains closed from Bayshore Drive to Rosehill Road while both Jersey Central Power & Light and Verizon crews replace the pole and wires.