Manasquan School Board Member Charged With DWI After Police Say He Drove Jeep Into Home

MANASQUAN, NJ — A member of the Manasquan school board was arrested and charged with DWI after he crashed his car into a home on March 7, authorities said.

According to police, Thomas Pellegrino, 58, drove his Jeep Wrangler into the living room of a home on Ridge Avenue around 2:10 a.m. Prior to that, he hit two cars that were parked on Newark Avenue and kept driving, said Manasquan Police.

Nobody was injured when he drove into the living room. However, homeowner Sarah Dunne said it was only pure chance that the Jeep did not drive into her 17-year-old son’s bedroom.

"If that car had hit the left side of my house instead of the right side, my son would have been killed," she said. "We are all physically OK, but we're traumatized. I haven't slept much since."

She said she was fast asleep on the second floor that Friday night when she heard a loud bang.

"We were all asleep, it was 2 o'clock in the morning. I thought, 'What the heck was that?' she said. "My kids' bedrooms are downstairs. I ran downstairs and there's a man in my kitchen, right by my son's bedroom door. I screamed."

Seconds later, she turned towards her living room and saw "chunks of drywall and our whole life in debris."

"I am so grateful to everyone who helped us," she said, referring to the Manasquan Construction officer, who she said responded that night and told her her home was still structurally safe to live in.

She also thanked the Manasquan Police, Fire and EMS and even her builder (Perry Boquel of Jersey Construction Services), who showed at 3 a.m. to inspect the damage and then start repairing it.

"People worked miracles so we could sleep back in the house that night," she said.

Pellegrino was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, Manasquan Police Capt. Nick Norcia said. He was also charged with refusal to submit to breath testing, reckless driving, unsafe operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a car crash and failure to report a car crash, for when he hit the two parked cars.

"I really believe this person needs help," Dunne said, of Pellegrino. "This was my home that was hit. But what if those cars he hit had kids in them?"

Pellegrino will make his first appearance at the Manasquan municipal court on March 18. He has been a member of Manasquan school board for 12 years and was previously board president, the Coast Star reported.