'Sovereign Citizen' Charged With Impaired Driving In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A man who declared himself a "sovereign citizen" was arrested on charges of driving under the influence after a police pursuit, police said.

Toms River police were called to Ocean County College on July 26 by campus security who reported a man driving in the parking lot who they believed was intoxicated, the Toms River PBA Local 137 said.

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Toms River police arrived and as they did, the man pulled out of the parking lot onto College Drive, the PBA said.

Patrol Officer Tyler Pinto pulled the vehicle over, and while the driver initially stopped, he then took off down College Drive and turned off his lights to try to elude police, the PBA said.

The driver then headed south on Hooper Avenue "at a very low speed," until he got on the Garden State Parkway, the PBA said. There the driver sped up to 90 mph, and Pinto terminated the pursuit in the interest of public safety and in accordance with the New Jersey attorney general's office guidelines on police pursuits, the PBA said.

A short time later Toms River police found the vehicle on Route 166 and followed it to where the driver pulled into Castle Park. At that point, Toms River police conducted a felony stop on the vehicle, the PBA said.

The driver refused to get out of the car, so Patrol Officers Pinto, Matthew Mlotkiewicz, Andrew Mastandrea, Ryan Litterer, and William Morsch formed "a tactical team and approached the suspect vehicle utilizing a ballistic shield," the PBA said.

That's when the driver identified himself as "sovereign citizen," someone who believes the government illegitimately rules over them, and they believe that by declaring themselves sovereign, they are not obliged to abide with the law, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

The man continued to refuse to get out of the vehicle, so police forcibly removed him and while he resisted arrest, was eventually arrested, the PBA said. He was charged with eluding, resisting arrest and obstruction, the PBA said.

The PBA did not identify the man.

"We'd like to commend our officers on a job well done, we will continue to recognize our officers for the work they do every day," the PBA said.