WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (Morris County) – A Budd Lake man was arrested on Saturday, after crashing his vehicle into a utility pole and causing brush fires in Washington Township.
The incident occurred around 6:42 p.m. on Naughright Road, just south of Ranney Road, police said.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found a single-vehicle accident involving a utility pole and several street signs. The force of the crash caused the pole to snap in half, sending wires onto the roadway and surrounding areas, police said.
The vehicle was disabled, left in the middle of the road, and the downed wires sparked two separate brush fires along the shoulder of the roadway, police said.
As officers approached the vehicle, they made contact with the 66-year-old driver, a Budd Lake resident. Suspecting impairment due to drugs or alcohol, police conducted a further investigation. They determined the driver was operating the vehicle while intoxicated and subsequently arrested him, police said.
In addition to the DWI charge, the driver was issued several traffic summonses. He was later released pending a court appearance.
