Drunken Registered Nurse, Followed by Witness, Quickly Arrested for DUI.

On September 10, 2022, a witness notified the police about an erratic driver who was driving a black 2016 Jeep in Fair Lawn, New #jersey. The caller told the #police that the driver had damaged a sign on Harristown Road and that he was following the vehicle until the police stopped the driver. In response to this call, Officer Stephen Buskiewicz was able to locate a vehicle matching the description and stopped the driver on Fair Lawn Avenue near Burbank Street. He approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver, who was identified as 31-year-old Jacqueline Strasser.

Around the same time, #officers Michael O’Brien, Salvatore Marotta, and Bradley Pindyck also arrived on scene. After he made contact, Officer Buskiewicz noticed indicators of impairment and asked the driver to exit the vehicle. He asked Jacqueline where she was coming from, and she replied that she was at her friend’s house. When he asked her how much she had to drink, she responded that she "probably" had two #drinks.

Based on his suspicion of impairment, he asked Jacqueline if she would be willing to participate in field sobriety exercises. Jacqueline agreed, and he began by administering the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. As Officer Buskiewicz was conducting field sobriety exercises, Officer O’Brien walked over to the witness who had reported the erratic driver so that he could gather more information. After the HGN test was complete, Officer Buskiewicz decided to terminate the field sobriety exercises out of concern for her safety. Instead, he told Jacqueline that she was under arrest for driving under the influence.

After Officer Marotta placed the handcuffs on Jacqueline, he escorted her to Officer Buskiewicz’s patrol car. A search of her vehicle revealed an open container of alcohol.

On December 14, 2022, Jacqueline pleaded #guilty to operating under the influence and unsafe operation of a vehicle. Following her guilty plea, Jacqueline was fined $440 for unsafe operation of a vehicle and $690 for operating under the influence. In addition to her fines, Jacqueline was also required to use an ignition interlock device for 3 months and spend 12 hours at an #intoxicated driver resource center.