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Florham Park police responded to a 9-1-1 call just after 9:30 p.m., reporting a driver slumped over the steering wheel in a parked vehicle on the Park Ave Connector Road, authorities said.
When Officer Kyle Kepler arrived, he found the truck parked across two lanes with the ignition still on. Passersby had also reported the concerning scene. Upon entering the vehicle, Kepler confirmed the driver was breathing and had a pulse. Officer Conor DeCoursey arrived shortly after, and together, they turned off the vehicle and woke the man.
During their investigation, officers determined the driver was under the influence of suspected narcotics and unable to operate the vehicle safely. He surrendered folds of suspected heroin during field sobriety testing and questioning. A subsequent vehicle search uncovered additional suspected heroin and evidence of recent drug use, police said.
The driver was arrested, taken to a local hospital for observation, and refused to provide blood or urine samples. Officers obtained a search warrant, and samples were sent to a lab for evaluation.
He has been charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving, failure to maintain a lane of travel, delaying traffic, possession of CDS in a motor vehicle, possession of CDS as a third-degree crime, possession of drug paraphernalia as a disorderly persons offense, and being under the influence of CDS without a prescription as a disorderly persons offense.
The case is scheduled for an initial hearing in Morris County Superior Court, police said.
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