Doruk Demirtas, 32, had driven his 2011 Ford Fusion east on East Union Avenue, where it hit a guardrail at a dead end and plunged into Berry's Creek around 1:15 a.m., East Rutherford Police Capt. Phillip Taormina said.
Demirtas got out of the sedan, swam to shore and then walked to a building at 25 East Union Ave., where he forced his way in, removed his wet clothing and sacked out, the captain said.An employee called police at 5:45 a.m. after finding two broken windows and Demirtas inside, he said.
East Rutherford police, firefighters and EMS converged on the scene by the creek, along with Marine Units and divers from Wallington, Carlstadt, Lyndhurst and Oradell fire departments, Taormina said.
They confirmed that no one else was in the vehicle.
Demirtas was charged with criminal trespassing and released pending a court hearing, the captain said.
The Berry's Creek canal is to the left (GoogleMaps)
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