Local man, 55, wakes up behind wheel and on lawn
A West Leach Avenue man, 55, racked up several apparently alcohol-related summonses Sept. 1 after officers were dispatched at 8:20 a.m. to the report of a suspicious vehicle parked partially on the front lawn of a Warren Road address.
When officers arrived they found the suspicious vehicle, a gray Honda Pilot, facing traffic, with its brake lights on and the driver evidently asleep at the wheel. The car was running and the transmission was in drive.
Police tried the front passenger door but it was locked. The reporting officer said he banged on the window and instructed the driver to open the door.
At that, the defendant stirred, regarding the officer with a blank stare. At continued instructions to open the door, the defendant attempted to manipulate buttons on his steering wheel.
The officer walked around to the driver’s door and found the window open. He reached in and unlocked the door, then he reached over the driver, put the car in park, and took the key out of the ignition.
Here the officer smelled the strong odor of alcoholic beverage.
The driver said he was en route from his house in Park Ridge to his house in Park Ridge. He showed physical signs of intoxication. He was able to produce only his driver’s license. He could not explain what his car was doing on the lawn.
The defendant said he’d had two alcoholic beverages that morning.
When a backup officer arrived from Montvale and was briefed, officers gave the defendant field sobriety tests, which he failed to complete satisfactorily. When asked to count from 69 to 54, he said, “What is that, that doesn’t make sense.” When given a walk-and-turn test, the defendant lost his balance and nearly fell over—police were there to steady him.
Police determined that the defendant was in no condition to safely resume the tests. He told them he’d had too much to drink.
The defendant was arrested for driving while intoxicated, then taken to headquarters. There, his blood alcohol level was determined to be beyond the legal limit.
He also was seen to have a slight injury to his wrist from the way he was sitting with his handcuffs. He declined the offer of medical attention.
The man was served with DWI, careless driving, reckless driving, failure to keep right, failure to provide registration, and failure to provide insurance.
His father came to collect him. He must answer the complaints Oct. 9 at Pascack Joint Municipal Court.
Resident, 71, victim in growing gift card scam
A King Road resident, 71, fell victim to a gift card scam. According to the police report, dated Aug. 27, the resident said he had received several calls from someone saying they were with Amazon. This caller said the company had detected $1,100 in fraudulent charges on his Amazon account and that he could help in the investigation if he were to obtain a Game Stop gift card in the amount of $445 and give them the account number and code.
He procured the card and provided the caller with the requested details.
He said he became suspicious when the person asked for yet another Game Stop gift card, in the amount of $425.
The resident called Game Stop immediately and reported the scam. The company will investigate, as will the Park Ridge Detective Bureau.
Woman, 98, home under hospice care, tangled in ID theft
The daughter of a woman, 98, returning home under hospice care reported to police Sept. 5 that two credit cards were fraudulently opened in her mother’s name. The first, from Discover, had a $4,000 charge from an Apple Store. (That card was cancelled, and a new one sent to the resident.)
The second was a bank card, and this was not delivered to any member of the family. The complainant took literature from the lobby regarding identity theft. This is a matter of record for the time being.