State Senator Sandra Cunningham (D-31) twice asked Jersey City Public Safety James Shea to come to the scene after she hit two parked cars back in March and ended up being charged with drunk driving, according to police body camera footage published by The Record.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Ma’am: I need you to stand with your right foot in front of your left foot,” a Jersey City police officer tells Cunningham, which was recorded by his body camera.
“Can I ask a question?,” she responds, which the officer obliges.
“I want to know where [Public Safety] Director [James] Shea is,” she replies.
“What does Director Shea have to do with anything right now?,” the officer responds.
“Because I can see you’re looking for something that isn’t there,” answered Cunningham.
The officer says that Shea has “zero” to do with the traffic stop and proceeds to ask the state senator to take a field sobriety test, which she refuses, stating that she’s feeling ill and would like to get medical attention before being handcuffed and arrested, the police body camera footage uploaded by The Record shows.
“This was a serious accident, which resulted in Senator Cunningham’s request for medical assistance. We have obviously entered a not guilty plea,” Michael Rubas, Cunningham’s attorney in the matter, said in an email today.
Cunningham’s case is scheduled to be heard by Bergen County Superior Court on Thursday.