A North Bergen police lieutenant was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Palisades Park last month after being found asleep at the wheel, with his breathalyzer reading showing a .19 blood alcohol content, according to a copy of the police report.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Palisades Park Police Officer Stephen Kim arrived at the intersection of approximately Bergen and East Edsall Boulevards on March 18th at about 1:30 a.m. after North Bergen Police Lt. Otoniel “Otto” Cruz was found asleep at the wheel with his foot on the brake.
“I guess I was,” Cruz said when asked if he was found asleep at the wheel, police body camera footage shows.
He appears to be in a confused state when asked where he was, eventually responding he was at a restaurant, that he can’t recall the name of, but later says it was in Fairview.
“We want to perform some tests, some filed sobriety tests, I’m getting a slight odor from you, have you been drinking at all today?” Kim asks.
“No,” he replies, which he repeated when Kim asked when more time.
After failing the field sobriety test, which included following a pen with his eyes, a walk and turn test, and and a one-legged stand, Cruz was placed under arrest.
Following processing and observation and the Palisades Park Police Station, Cruz submitted two breath samples that were over twice the legal limit of 0.08 BAC.
“The Alcohol Influence Report form (Seq. File No. 00886) read Mr. Cruz’s B.A.C. to be a 0.19%. I then signed the Alcohol Influence Report form, and a copy was given to Mr. Cruz,” Kim wrote in the police report.
“I then entered the results into the State Police Alcotest Calculator and the breath samples provided were within acceptable tolerance.”
Both the police report and police body camera footage were obtained through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request.
Cruz joined the North Bergen Police Department in 2003, was promoted to sergeant in 2012, before becoming a lieutenant at what was deemed by township officials as a “historic ceremony” in 2016 where 15 other officers were promoted.
He also received some level of notoriety in 2017 when a resident took a candid photo of him helping an elderly woman cross the street.
A town spokesman did not return an inquiry seeking comment, but a source with knowledge of the situation, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said that Cruz is on leave from the department and has entered a substance abuse treatment facility.
We’re all just human and we all make mistakes!!!
I wish him well!!!!
A fine example!
I know Otto from years ago. He is a great guy and he made a very serious error in judgement that night. Luckily and Thankfully, by the Grace of GOD, nobody was hurt. Jesus took the wheel and put Otto to sleep before he could hurt someone. I’m very sure that he is embarrassed and extremely apologetic because this is out of character for him. Nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. GOD will forgive sins so Life can move on. I wish Otto well in his recovery. 🙏🙇♂️