UPDATE: A Wayne motorist was intoxicated when he crashed his sedan into a tree in Ridgewood, seriously injuring his two passengers, authorities charged.
A rear passenger got thrown onto the front seat when the 2022 Honda Accord driven by Jason Lopez, 39, left the roadway and crashed at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Rock Road near the Glen Rock border shortly after 1:30 a.m. March 3, responders said.
Police from the village and the borough teamed up to pry open a rear door and free the more severely injured passenger, who they said was initially unconscious but breathing.
Lopez and the front-seat passenger were freed by firefighters.
Both passengers were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center along with Lopez, who wasn’t as seriously injured as the other two, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
Investigators charged Lopez with two counts of assault by auto while DWI. He also received summonses for DWI, failing to maintain a lane and having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, the prosecutor said.
Lopez is scheduled for a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack on Friday, March 17.
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