Prosecutor: Maywood DWI Driver Charged After Leaving Passenger Critical

MAYWOOD, N.J. – A Maywood welder who crashed his hatchback into two utility poles and a tree before dawn Wednesday, leaving his passenger near death, was charged with assault by auto and DWI, authorities said.

Benjamin Scarpulla
Photo Credit: *MUGSHOT: Courtesy BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR*

Jerry DeMarco

01/03/2018 7:30 p.m.

The crash occurred exactly a year to the day that 21-year-old Benjamin Scarpulla lost his mother, Deirdre Scarpulla, 47, to cancer.

Scarpulla was released to a responsible adult pending a Jan. 12 first appearance in Central Judicial Municipal Court, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal said.

The crash occurred just after 2:30 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Maywood and Lenox avenues, when Scarpulla's 2009 Toyota Yaris hit the first utility pole, then a tree, then the other pole, responders said.

EMTs got there almost instantly and quickly got Scarpulla -- who had to be removed from the vehicle -- and his older male passenger to Hackensack University Medical Center, they said.

The passenger remained there in critical condition, Grewal said. Scarpulla was released.

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