Drunk, Wrong-Way Driver On Route 37 Stopped Before Hitting Bystanders, Toms River PBA Says

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A trio of Toms River police officers stopped a drunken driver who was driving the wrong way on Route 37 on Saturday, before any bystanders could be injured, authorities said.

The Toms River Police Benevolent Association Local 137 shared the incident on its Facebook page on Monday, highlighting the officers' actions.

Patrolman Eric Nelson was driving east on Route 37 when he saw a vehicle driving east in the westbound lanes, the PBA post said.

Nelson tried to get the driver's attention from the eastbound lanes but the driver ignored Nelson and kept going the wrong way on Route 37, nearly hitting multiple other vehicles, the PBA said.

At that point, Nelson began to pursue the wrong-way driver, who tried to elude Nelson while still driving in the wrong lane, the PBA said.

Patrolman Robert King and Patrolman Justin Barberi, who were driving west on Route 37 on their way back from a special duty assignment, heard the pursuit over the radio and used their vehicles to block the wrong-way driver head-on, stopping the pursuit "at great risk to themselves," the PBA said.

The driver, who was not identified, has been charged with driving while impaired and second-degree eluding, the PBA said.

"We commend all officers involved for putting themselves at great risk to ensure no innocent bystanders were hurt during this incident," the PBA said, adding that it was one of six drunken driving arrests Nelson made over the weekend.