Backseat Yeller Catches Police Attention, Drug Charges

A Red Bank man passing through Lakehurst may have made his way through the borough without drug charges — had he not shouted at borough police as he went by.

Brendan S. Corridon, 30, of Corn Lane in Red Bank, was in the back seat of a vehicle driving on Route 70 just after midnight on July 12 when he shouted out the window, drawing the attention of police who were responding to another incident at the time, said Sgt. Ronald Heinzman.

"For whatever reason, Brendan, being a rear-seat passenger, decided to yell at the officers as the vehicle was passing, which caught their attention," he said.

According to Heinzman, officers Ryan Valeri and Iain James stopped the vehicle on Route 70 near Center Street and found that Corridon was not wearing a seatbelt.

"A subsequent check of his license to issue a summons yielded a $1,000 traffic warrant out of Ocean Port," Heinzman said. "When he was placed under arrest and searched, he had cocaine in his pocket."

Corridon was charged with possession of cocaine, being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance and failure to wear a seatbelt, Heinzman said. His bail was set at $2,500 and he was taken to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.