Aug 8 - N.J. State Police trooper accused of drunken driving after crashing car into creek

TRENTON — A State Police trooper[..]igned to an elite emergency response unit has been charged with drunken driving and other offenses after striking two parked cars in a Monmouth County beach neighborhood, crashing his troop car into a backyard creek and then fleeing.
The trooper, Kevin T. Byrne, 33, of Spring Lake Heights was off-duty at about 2:45 a.m. on July 25 when he allegedly hit the unoccupied cars, which were parked in front of 2207 Main St. in Lake Como Borough, a six-square-block area popular among tourists visiting the Jersey Shore.
About the same time, the Lake Como Police Department received a report of a hit-and-run accident, according to an incident report obtained by The Star-Ledger. The report said police found an unmarked State Police vehicle in the creek behind 2211 Main St.
The department notified the State Police, which took over the investigation, the report said.
Under the State Police’s policy governing alcohol use, any accident involving a trooper under the influence of alcohol requires a response from the field operations region commander. The commander is responsible for ensuring all proper law enforcement procedures are followed.
A spokesman for the State Police, Acting Sgt. 1st Cla#s Brian Polite, said Byrne was arrested about 3 a.m. at his home. He lives more than two miles from where he abandoned his car, and it was unclear what happened from the time of the crash until he was arrested, or how he got home.
Byrne was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, careless driving likely to endanger person or property, and leaving the scene of an accident, Lake Como municipal court records show. He is scheduled to appear in that court Wednesday, the records show.
Polite said Byrne, a 10-year veteran, was suspended without pay the same day as the incident pending the outcome of the criminal charges and an internal investigation by the State Police. Byrne did not return a call Friday seeking comment.
The man who reported the accident to Lake Como police, Nicholas Duva, told The Star-Ledger he was awakened about 3 a.m. by car alarms. He said he went outside and saw his two cars had been struck. One was totaled and the other severely damaged, he said.
Duva said he learned a few hours later that found out a trooper was involved.
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"We’ve been renting here a couple of years," Duva said. "This wasn’t exactly in the vacation plans but these things happen. One was my son’s car and I’m really happy no one was hurt."
The cars were struck about three blocks south of the Lake Como Police Department. The trooper’s vehicle came to rest in the creek two houses from where he hit the cars. The homeowner told The Star-Ledger he slept through the incident.
Byrne is[..]igned to the Central T.E.A.M.S. unit, a highly specialized group of emergency responders. He made $94,232 last year in regular salary, not including overtime and other pay, according to state payroll records.
The State Police’s alcohol policy states that even off-duty troopers are prohibited from drinking, even while on vacation, to the extent it might affect their work because they could be recalled at any time — particularly if they are a member of an emergency response team.
Troopers found in violation of the policy can be dismissed from the force. The final decision rests with Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes.

N.J. State Police trooper accused of drunken driving after crashing car into creek | NJ.com

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this is awesome

HAHAH he was probably a douche bag. Most of the stateys out here in NJ are regular people like me and you. They party just as hard. Lake como is down the shore. He was probably partying his[..] off down the shore.

So he was probably at Lake Como, where they party hard, partying his[..] off...!! yeah.