PARK RIDGE, N.J.—A Westwood man, 29, was alleged in possession of narcotics paraphernalia, possession with intent to use or sell a hypodermic syringe, careless driving, abandoned vehicle, and use of handheld phone following a traffic stop just after noon on Sept. 4.
According to the police report, the officer was parked in the old Vale Pontiac parking lot facing Kinderkamack Road when he saw a red Subaru Legacy travel south past his location.
As the vehicle passed, he observed the driver holding a cell phone in his right hand while looking at the screen.
In addition, the driver was traveling 20–25 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. The defendant was delaying the three or four vehicles behind him.
“It was apparent that [the defendant] was focused more on his phone rather than his driving,” the officer said.
He pulled out of the lot and stopped the defendant at the Dairy Queen on Kinderkamack Road. Once at the passenger’s side window the officer requested the defendant’s credentials.
Throughout the exchange, the officer noted the defendant “shook continuously,” had an elevated carotid pulse, and had constricted pupils and slightly slurred speech.
On one of the defendant’s arms was a track mark with what appeared to be a fresh puncture wound indicative of intravenous drug use.
The officer called for backup. With the additional unit on scene, officers continued the investigation. They asked for permission to search the car, were denied, and then called for a K-9 unit. At that, the defendant consented to a search.
Inside the car was a plastic bag containing nine syringes the defendant first said were his father’s, for diabetic treatment, and then he produced a receipt showing he himself had just bought them at CVS.
He voluntarily admitted to using heroin again because he was feeling sick. He purchased the syringes and injected heroin to make himself feel better. He stated he had been clean from using heroin for a long time but just started using heroin again a few weeks ago.
The defendant said he’d thrown the syringe and bag of heroin away prior to driving his vehicle.
The defendant satisfactorily performed field sobriety tests. He was handcuffed and informed that he was being placed under arrest for possession drug paraphernalia.
The defendant gave an officer permission to move his vehicle off of Kinderkamack Road and into the parking lot of the Dairy Queen. When the officer entered the vehicle, he observed an empty wax fold on the floor by the driver’s seat and another wax fold by the emergency brake on the center console.
Those objects were not in the vehicle when the reporting officer searched it earlier. The second officer took possession of the paraphernalia and secured it in a police vehicle.
The defendant explained he placed the wax folds in his vehicle when he was looking for the receipt for the syringes.
The defendant was processed and given a ride back to his car. He will answer at Pascack Joint Municipal Court on Oct. 9.
