Around 10:38 PM on July 14, 2025, Officer Mark Chanley with the Piscataway Township Police Department had stopped for a meal break at the Taco Bell on 4807 Stelton Road in neighboring South Plainfield. He observed a white 2021 Jeep attempting to flee the scene after striking a curb and striking a sign afterwards. Officer Chanley began pursuing her, and he initiated a traffic stop. The driver pulled into the parking lot of Staples at 7000 Hadley Road and stopped her vehicle next to a handicapped parking space. The driver was identified as Sandy Perez, a Sheriff's Officer with the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office. She told him that she was heading back to a hotel after having an argument with a significant other. She later admitted to consuming a few drinks earlier that evening. Officer Nicholas Polizzano arrived on scene shortly afterwards and he took over the investigation. Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment and the visible front-end damage to her vehicle, Sandy was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. Sandy told the officers that she was unwilling to perform field sobriety exercises. Shortly afterwards, she was placed under arrest for DWI. Her Sheriff’s Officer vest was taken by the South Plainfield Police, and the she told the officers that her firearm was secured in the back of her vehicle. A search of her vehicle incident to arrest yielded 2 open containers of Jameson whiskey. Her Jeep was eventually impounded for a mandatory 12-hour pursuant to John’s Law and they transported Sandy to the South Plainfield Police Department for further processing. Officer Polizzano issued Sandy the following citations: -Operating under the influence (39:4-50) -Reckless driving (39:4-96) -Leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage (39:4-129B) -Failure to report an accident (39:4-130) -Consuming an alcoholic beverage inside a motor vehicle (39:4-51A) -Open container (39:4-51B) As of October 5, 2025, court records indicate that Sandy’s case is still pending before the South Plainfield Municipal Court. ---------------------------------------------- Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and consider supporting this channel (email us for more information). Our content is shared for educational and news gathering purposes. We are in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2024, c.16). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. South Jersey Media Group, 993 A.2d 778 (2010) that “The fair-report privilege reflects the judgment that the need, in a self-governing society, for free-flowing information about matters of public interest outweighs concerns over the uncompensated injury to a person's reputation.” This video advances a compelling public interest. The summary of events was based on records that are “open to public view through open access to public records” as defined in the Salzano case. In Ramos v. Flowers, 429 N.J. Super. 13, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court has also affirmed the right to film law enforcement interactions.

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