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An officer in Tenafly, New Jersey was following the Toyota sedan when it swerved into the opposite lane on East Clinton Avenue near Buckingham Road just after 1 a.m. Saturday, police said.
The driver, 26-year-old Manolo Morales of Ramapo, “was argumentative and refused to provide his identification and vehicle documents” after the officer stopped him, Capt. Michael deMoncada said.
The officer smelled alcohol and saw evidence of drug use in the vehicle, the captain added.
Backups arrived, he said, and “despite their best efforts to convince [Morales] to exit the vehicle peacefully…were forced to break the driver’s window to gain access and unlock the door.”
Morales “continued to be belligerent towards officers, refused to provide breath samples, and was uncooperative during his processing” at headquarters, deMoncada said.
He eventually was processed and charged with resisting arrest, obstruction and possession of a small amount of marijuana.
Police also issued Morales summonses for DWI, refusing to submit to a breath test, failing to maintain a lane, careless driving and driving while on the suspended list.
They released him to a responsible adult under John’s Law.
deMoncada urged citizens to report suspected drunk or unsafe drivers to their local police departments immediately -- for own their safety and that of others.
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