Fleeing Drunk Driver Charged With DWI in Clayton After Chase

CLAYTON – 49-years-old James L. Happersett Jr. of Clayton was arrested and charged with DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and other violations on Friday.

According to the police, Happersett was driving drunk and tried to flee when an officer had to break a window of his vehicle to stop him from continuing a chase.

Apart from the DWI charge, Happersett was also charged with eluding police, , obstruction of justice and resisting arrest.

The police was informed of a possibly drunk driver in the area of Broad and High streets. Happersett’s vehicle was spotted by Clayton Ptl. Michael Foley who responded to the report.

The police officer tried to pull Happersett over but he didn’t stop. The police followed him on a low-speed, roughly two-mile pursuit after which they finally stopped him. However, Happersett refused to open his door after he was stopped.
Eventually, Foley had to break the driver’s side window so they could stop him and put an end to the pursuit. According to the released statement, the officer was injured by broken glass.

After his arrest, Happersett was taken to Kennedy University Hospital for treatment as he started to lose consciousness.

News Source: www.NJ.com