Cops: Drunk Driver Crashed, Tried to Hide, Lied About Name

A Staten Island man was arrested and charged with a slew of offenses recently after police say he crashed his car while intoxicated, fled the scene on foot, and lied about his name.

On July 3 at 2:26 a.m. four Parsippany police officers along with officers from the Denville Police Department responded to the area of Tabor Road and Hope Road for a report of a motor vehicle crash, police said.

When they arrived they found an overturned, unoccupied minivan in the middle of the roadway, police said. An area check for occupants resulted in locating an “intoxicated male individual, with visible signs of injury,” who was hiding on a porch about 500 feet away from the crash, police said.

That man gave a name to the officers which was later proven to be false, and told police there was another occupant in the vehicle who fled, which was also false, police said.

As a result of the man’s alleged lies, an area search with the help of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit was conducted, police said.

The man was taken to St. Clare’s Hospital for facial injuries suffered in the crash. During further investigation, it was revealed the driver’s name was Michael Barbato, 48, from Staten Island, New York.

Barbato was charged with failure to maintain lane, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license, driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. He was also charged with hindering apprehension/false identification.