PARSIPPANY — A Lake Hiawatha man was charged with driving while intoxicated and several related motor vehicle offenses after officers found him slumped over behind the wheel of a running vehicle parked in the middle of an intersection, according to the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department.
According to Officer Esterlin Estevez, officers responded to the intersection of North Beverwyck Road and Iroquois Avenue on Friday, July 10, at approximately 9:24 p.m. for a welfare check after a report of a male slumped over inside a running vehicle. Upon arrival, an officer made contact with the driver, later identified as Nicolas Cabrera-Velasquez, 37, who had exited the vehicle and was standing next to it while it remained parked in the middle of the intersection.
Officer Estevez’s report states that Cabrera-Velasquez was found seated on the curb in a slumped position, swaying noticeably from side to side. When instructed to stand, officers detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person and breath. Cabrera-Velasquez reportedly gave rambling responses unrelated to the questions being asked, exhibited poor balance and failed to satisfactorily perform standardized field sobriety tests.
Officer Estevez wrote that Cabrera-Velasquez admitted to consuming several alcoholic beverages and repeatedly admitted that he had fallen asleep behind the wheel. He was placed under arrest for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and transported to police headquarters for Alcotest processing.
Cabrera-Velasquez was issued the following summonses:
- Driving While Intoxicated (39:4-50)
- Failure to Install Interlock/Driving Vehicle Without Interlock (39:4-50.19)
- Reckless Driving (39:4-96)
- Careless Driving (39:4-97)
- Failure to Possess Driver’s Registration (39:3-29B)
- Failure to Possess Insurance Card (39:3-29C)
- Parking Prohibited (39:4-138)
- Open Container of Alcohol or Unsealed Cannabis in a Motor Vehicle (39:4-51B)
Cabrera-Velasquez’s vehicle was towed from the scene by Ron and Sons Towing. His partner, Glendy Cabrera, responded to police headquarters, was advised of the circumstances surrounding the arrest and signed a John’s Law acknowledgment form. Cabrera-Velasquez was released into her custody without incident.
Editor’s Note: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and/or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
