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Russell Fenn IV, 37, was “visibly swaying” after the engine slammed into two utility poles on East 54th Street and Molnar Drive around 1:15 a.m. Sunday, Bergen County Police Department Capt. James Mullin told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this afternoon.
Another firefighter in the rig had to be taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with what appeared to be minor injuries, he said.
Mullin said that the 20-year-old rig — the department’s only ladder truck — sustained $250,000 in damages.
It had to be impounded, leaving borough firefighters one short in battling a blaze at a Route 46 hotel this afternoon (SEE: Firefighters find rooms empty after hotel fire).
County police charged Fenn, of Elmwood Park, with assault by auto, DWI and reckless driving, the captain said. He was issued summonses and released to a responsible adult.
Elmwood Park police requested the BCPD investigation that led to Fenn’s arrest to avoid any potential or perceived conflict of interest, Mullin said.
Borough Administrator Keith Kazmark said Fenn was suspended pending the results of the case. Borough officials also temporarily banned having or drinking alcohol in all four firehouses.
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