Four smashed cars but, thankfully, no injuries: That was what the Verona Police Department and the Verona Rescue Squad saw when they responded to a crash on Mount Prospect Avenue last night.
On Thursday at about 10:30 p.m., Lt. Greco and Officers Carattini and Clark responded to a crash on the road, which connects Verona to West Orange. According to the VPD, the driver of one of the vehicles fled the scene while the crash was being investigated. The man, a 36-year-old Bloomfield resident, was apprehended after a brief chase and struggle.
He has been charged with driving while intoxicated, two counts of aggravated assault, obstruction, resisting arrest, nine motor vehicle summonses and one violation of a Verona Township ordinance. The man, whose name was not disclosed by the VPD, was given a court date and released.
(Photos: Verona Police Department)
His name “wasn’t released” What does THAT mean? It’s public record.
In the past, police departments regularly released the names of all individuals apprehended and charged, even though the U.S. has due process protections to ensure that people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Now, many police departments do not include names in their “blotter” reports, or use names only in the case of serious felonies. That said, any citizen can file a request for a police report at Town Hall.
I used to live right there on Mount Prospect in the 1980’s. It is a hill ending at traffic light on Sunset ave.
I would hear the screech of tires everyday as motorists misjudged stopping distance to the light. There would be an accident on average once a year there.