Man charged with DWI after wrong-way crash injures NJ State Police trooper on I-80 in Warren County
KNOWLTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Warren County) — A Pennsylvania man was arrested and charged after a wrong-way crash early Monday on Interstate 80 in Warren County that injured a New Jersey State Police trooper, authorities said.
According to New Jersey State Police spokesman Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron, troopers responded at about 12:23 a.m. Dec. 16 to a report of a wrong-way driver traveling on I-80 East in Knowlton Township.
A preliminary investigation determined that Robert Felegi, 67, of Middleport, Pennsylvania, was driving a Nissan pickup truck westbound in the eastbound lanes of the highway. A trooper in a marked patrol vehicle was traveling eastbound with emergency lights and sirens activated while attempting a slowdown maneuver to warn motorists of a hazard ahead.
Near milepost 1.4, Felegi’s vehicle collided head-on with the patrol car, Lebron said.
The trooper sustained minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital. No other injuries were reported.
Felegi was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and assault by auto. He was lodged in the Warren County Jail pending a detention hearing.
“This incident occurred during Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Month, a statewide enforcement initiative focused on removing impaired drivers from New Jersey roadways,” state police said. “The New Jersey State Police commend the actions of the trooper, whose quick thinking and response helped prevent additional injuries and further danger to the public.”
The incident remains under investigation, and no additional information was released.
