Toms River Pickup Driver Had Repeated Reckless, Careless Driving Citations, But No DWI

When the Toms River man whose dog died when his pickup truck broke through the ice and sank in the Toms River is arraigned Monday, it will be with an extensive list of motor vehicle violations.

Andrew Mayer, 27, is scheduled to be arraigned at noon Monday in Toms River Municipal Court on charges of criminal mischief, reckless driving and polluting, all stemming from the incident last Sunday that led to a 10-hour search-and-rescue effort.

Speculation has been rampant about Mayer since the incident, with many Internet comments focused on his failure to turn himself in to police until several hours after the pickup sank, shortly after midnight Sunday.

Sandy Grossman, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, on Friday said that while Mayer has had a dozen license suspensions and numerous violations, none of them are for driving under the influence.

Grossman said motor vehicle records show Mayer has two prior convictions for reckless driving, one for careless driving and two for unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. One of the reckless driving citations and the careless driving citation were issued in connection with accidents, Grossman said. She did not have details on the accidents.

Grossman also detailed the license suspensions, almost all of which were financial in nature -- failure to pay surcharges, failure to pay fines. Once his license was suspended for reckless driving and the most recent suspension, which ended in July, was for being a persistent violator, she said.

Mayer escaped when his pickup truck broke through the ice covering the Toms River and sank about 100 yards off the shore of Pine Beach. His dog, Rolo, died when the pickup sank, which has enraged animal lovers and activists. The New Jersey SPCA is investigating Rolo’s death but as of Friday afternoon had not filed charges.

The criminal mischief charge is specifically for causing a substantial interruption of public services, a third-degree criminal offense, said Sgt. Gregory Williams of the New Jersey State Police, who have been handling the case.

A full timeline of what occurred Sunday has not yet been made public, but initial reports were that a caller reported seeing lights on the ice near Gladney Avenue shortly after midnight Sunday. Toms River police arrived shortly thereafter and saw the pickup truck’s headlights and taillights and saw it doing donuts on the ice. When the truck’s lights disappeared, police callled in a search-and-rescue effort that included a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.

The pickup was finally located at 10:20 a.m. Sunday, and while divers were searching for people who may have been trapped, they discovered Rolo’s body. About the same time Mayer and his friend, Daniel Jolly, who police say had been in the pickup but got out before Mayer drove on to the ice, turned themselves in to Toms River police.

State police said Jolly will not be charged.

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