Around 2:21 AM on July 20, 2023, Officer Carolina Kopacz with the Chatham Township Police Department was on patrol in the vicinity of Southern Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue when she observed 2 vehicles stopped in the roadway on Fairmount Avenue. She stopped behind a 2018 Nissan Altima and exited her patrol car to investigate. She made contact with a male who informed her that his girlfriend had been involved in a car crash about 30 minutes earlier and that he came there after using the location feature on her phone to locate her. The driver of the Nissan Altima was identified as Jessica, and she was seated in her boyfriend’s truck. As she approached Jessica and asked her to tell her what happened, she believed that she had struck another vehicle head-on. However, the damages to her vehicle were mainly on the front passenger side bumper instead of the front driver side bumper, so her account of events did not seem plausible. Jessica told Officer Kopacz that she was coming from Morristown, but she had to rely on her boyfriend to provide her documents to the officer. Sergeant Muta Blanford arrived on scene shortly afterwards to assist. Based on their suspicion of impairment, Jessica was asked to perform field sobriety exercises. Sergeant Blanford started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Jessica did not touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and displayed a lack of balance. The third exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Jessica 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, and her inability to satisfactorily complete the field sobriety exercises, Jessica was placed under arrest. After she was placed under arrest and placed in the patrol car, Sergeant Blanford located a nearby utility pole with damages indicative of being struck by her Nissan Altima. Her vehicle was impounded by De Falco Automotive & Towing for a 12-hour hold according to John’s Law. Officer Kopacz transported Jessica to the Chatham Township Police Department for further processing. At the station, Jessica was read the Standard Statement for Motor Vehicle Operators, and she agreed to submit breath samples. Her Alcotest results indicated a BAC level of 0.25%, which was more than triplet the legal limit of 0.08%. After they were finished processing Jessica, she was released to her parents pending her court appearance after her mother signed the Potential Liability Warning on Jessica’s behalf. Officer Kopacz issued Jessica the following citations: Operating under the influence, reckless driving, careless driving: operate motor vehicle causing property damage, failure to report accident, and traffic on marked lanes Court records indicate that on February 12, 2024, Jessica was found guilty of operating under the influence and careless driving: operate motor vehicle causing property damage. As a result of being found guilty, she had to use an ignition interlock device for 3 months, spend 12 months at an intoxicated driver resource center, and pay a total of $830 in fines. The other 3 citations were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. ---------------------------------------------- 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. 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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