Around 10:34 PM on July 10, 2025, Officer Shane Daly with the Verona Police Department was flagged down by an employee of Asphalt Paving Systems, who reported that his truck had been struck. He radioed dispatch and began heading towards the crash scene on Mount Prospect Avenue in the vicinity of Sunset Avenue. He noticed that a green 2013 Ford Explorer had sustained apparently struck the crash barrel behind a paving truck. There was airbag deployment inside the Ford, so the Verona Rescue Squad was called to the scene to evaluate the driver and passenger. It was determined that the driver of the Ford was 20-year-old Leeannett Rivera, and her passenger was 21-year-old Kennedy Jackson. There was spidering on the windshield consistent with someone hitting their head, and Kennedy had visible lacerations on her forehead. After both parties declined to be transported to the hospital, Officer Daly interviewed Kennedy while Sergeant Aaron Seubert interviewed Leeannett. Kennedy told Officer Daly that they were coming from Eagle Rock Reservation. Leeannett admitted to Sergeant Seubert that they had both shared 2 “Cutwaters” while at Eagle Rock Reservation. Witnesses told the officers that they observed someone discarding a can of an alcoholic beverage, which an officer later located on someone’s lawn. A search of the vehicle would later yield another container of Cutwater on the front passenger floorboard. Based on the officers’ suspicion of impairment, Leeannett was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Officer Daly observed the lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Leeannett failed to touch heel-to-toe on each step, took an incorrect number of steps, and failed to turn. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and she failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion and put her foot down before the test was complete. Based on the motor vehicle crash, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol earlier that evening, and her performance on the field sobriety exercises, Leeannett was placed under arrest for DWI. Her vehicle was impounded for a 12-hour hold according to John’s Law, while Officer Frank O’Neill transported Leeannett to the neighboring Cedar Grove Police Department for further processing. At the station, the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators was read to her, and she agreed to submit breath samples. One of her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.18%, but she was still charged with a refusal because she did not submit adequate samples when they repeated the breathalyzer test again. After they finished processing her, she was released to her mother pending her court appearance after she signed the Potential Liability Warning form on her behalf. Officer Daly issued Leeannett the following traffic citations: -39:4-50 -39:4-50.4A -39:4-96 -39:4-97 -39:4-51A -39:4-51B Her passenger Kennedy was later issued the following 4 summonses via USPS: -39:4-51A -39:4-51B -39:3-76.2F -39:4-64 On October 2, 2025, Leeannett pleaded guilty to operating under the influence (39:4-50) and consuming alcohol inside a motor vehicle (39:4-51A). As a result, Leeannett had to spend 12 hours at an intoxicated driver resource center and pay a total of $1,030 in fines. The other 4 citations were dismissed. Her passenger Kennedy later pleaded guilty to 39:4-51A and 39:3-76.2F on August 21, 2025 and had to pay a total of $330 in fines, while the other 2 citations were dismissed. ---------------------------------------------- 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. 2001, c. 404). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously affirmed in Salzano v. North 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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