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South Plainfield Police received multiple 911 calls about an erratic driver near Cromwell Place on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 2:19 p.m., authorities said. Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle speed through a backyard on Stratford Avenue, cross a field, and come to rest partially submerged in a creek.
When officers arrived, they found the 40-year-old driver unresponsive and floating in the water, police said. Lt. Lloyd McNelly, Lt. Peter Magnani, and Officer Stephen Petriello entered the creek to pull him to safety and provided medical aid before he was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, authorities said. A juvenile passenger in the vehicle was unharmed, police said.
An investigation revealed that the vehicle left the roadway on Libourel Road, struck a stop sign at Libourel and Stratford, and then continued through an intersection, a backyard, and a field before ending up in the water, police said. Officials determined the driver’s actions were deliberate.
Photos of the incident were published in a news article by TapInto South Plainfield.
He has been charged with criminal attempt murder, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal mischief, along with multiple motor vehicle violations, including DWI, police said.
Authorities urge any witnesses or anyone with surveillance footage to contact Officer Brian Zielinski at 908-226-7678 or Detective Craig Magnani at 908-226-7682.
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