Man crashes pickup into stream, flees the scene, later arrested for being under the influence of CDS in Hackettstown (PHOTOS)
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ (Warren County) – A Morris County man who Hackettstown police said crashed his pickup into a stream and fled the scene Wednesday morning was later arrested for being under the influence of CDS in public.
On July 7, at around 12:08 p.m., police responded to the 100 block of Willow Grove Street for a report of a suspicious person. Officers made contact with the man at the entrance to Alumni Field.
The man, who was identified as Damian Plewa, 35, of Budd Lake, NJ, appeared to be lethargic and exhibited signs of suspected CDS use, police said.
Plewa was charged with being under the influence of CDS and released pending a court appearance. He was then transported by Mansfield Township Rescue Squad to Hackettstown Medical Center, police said.
Then at around 2:49 p.m., police responded to Miller Street for a report of a vehicle in a stream, police said.
Through a police investigation it was determined that at around 8:00 a.m., Plewa was travelling west on Miller Street in a 2019 Honda pickup when he allegedly swerved to avoid a deer, veered off the roadway road, struck the curb, over an embankment and into the stream, police said.
Plewa then left the scene. No injuries were reported, police said.
Bill’s Service Center responded to remove the vehicle from the stream.
Plewa was charged with driving with an expired license, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, and careless driving. He was released pending a court appearance.
