SPARTA TOWNSHIP, NJ (Sussex County) – A 38-year-old Essex County man faces several charges after he allegedly crashed his car Tuesday night in Sparta Township.
Michael Elchin II of Montclair was charged with careless driving, DWI, open container in motor vehicle, failure to keep right and failure to produce socuments.
On March 14, at around 8:45 p.m., a township officer responded to Lafayette Road for a report of a single-vehicle crash, police said.
The officer located the driver, who was identified as Elchin, and he had abrasions on his arms from the airbag deployment but refused medical attention, police said.
Elchin stated to police that he swerved to avoid a deer and drove off of the roadway, but was able to steer back onto the road before his Chevrolet pickup became disabled. The officer surveyed the damage to the pickup and observed a fire hydrant lodged in the undercarriage of the truck, police said.
While the officer was speaking with Elchin, the officer suspected that he had been consuming alcoholic beverages, which was confirmed by an open bottle of alcohol within the vehicle, police said.
After Elchin completed the field sobriety tests, he was arrested for DWI, police said.
Elchin was charged and then transported to Newton Hospital to be evaluated, police said.
