Crime & Safety

Man Charged With DWI After He Pinned Bergen Girl, 13, Between 2 Vehicles, Police Say

William Almonte, 43, was also charged with assault with a motor vehicle.

MAHWAH, N.J. — A 13-year-old township girl suffered severe leg injuries after she was pinned to another car after a party Sunday night, authorities said.

The girl’s father, John Stewart, was picking the girl up from the Aspen Court party when four people, including the homeowner, got into a Ford Mustang convertible, Stewart said.

The homeowner, William Almonte, 43, put the car into reverse; the car went backwards, pinning the girl between two vehicles, said Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli.

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Stewart said the Mustang went “from zero to 30 miles per hour," severely injuring his daughter's legs.
The Mahwah Ambulance Corps and paramedics responded to the scene and took the girl to Hackensack University Hospital, Batelli said.

“I don’t know how her legs weren’t severed,” Stewart said. “By the grace of God she’s okay.”

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Almonte was charged with assault with a motor vehicle, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, the chief said.

“This kind of thing has to stop,” Stewart said. “These people have to stop drinking and driving.”

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