Police in Sparta responded to Lafayette Road Tuesday around 8:45 p.m. on a report of a single-vehicle crash where Michael Elchin II of Montclair was found with scratches on his arms from airbag deployment, WRNJRadio reports.
Elchin, who refused medical attention, said he swerved his Chevrolet pickup truck off the road to avoid a deer, authorities said.
Once back on the road, the truck became disabled and struck a fire hydrant, which was lodged under Elchin's truck, police said.
Police found an open bottle of alcohol in the vehicle and subsequently asked Elchin to perform a series of field sobriety tests, which he failed, authorities said.
Elchin was transported to Newton Hospital for evaluation after being charged with DWI, careless driving, open container in a motor vehicle, failure to keep right and failure to produce documents.
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