REPUBLICANS FAIL TO SCRUTINIZE THEIR CANDIDATES!
Hair-Raising Details of New Jersey GOP Senate Candidate’s DUI Emerge
Asked by a cop if he’d been in a crash, the New Jersey Republican said: “I don’t think so,” according to a police report.
Dan Ladden-Hall
Asked by a cop if he’d been in a crash, the New Jersey Republican said: “I don’t think so,” according to a police report.
New details have emerged of an incident involving a New Jersey Republican candidate running for U.S. Senate in which he was accused of driving under the influence and failing to report an accident.
Former TV reporter Alex Zdan earlier this month acknowledged to the New Jersey Globe that he had a DUI from 2020 on his driving record. But more information about the full extent of what happened was disclosed by Politico on Wednesday based on police reports that indicated the incident may have been more serious than previously believed.
Zdan, who is running for the seat currently held by indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, swerved into oncoming traffic and grazed another vehicle at around 10 p.m. in Hopewell Township, according to an investigation report from the Hopewell Police Department. The collision knocked a mirror off the other vehicle and left scuff marks down its passenger side.
Zdan allegedly left the scene. A police officer later found Zdan sleeping in the driver’s seat of his Dodge Ram in a parking lot, according to the report, adding that fresh scrape marks were visible on his vehicle. Police woke Zdan and noticed that he had “slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and person,” the report says, with officers also noting an open bottle of wine “that was missing liquid contents” in the driver’s side cup holder.
Asked by an officer if he’d been involved in an accident, Zdan allegedly answered: “I don’t think so.” The report said officers also asked what Zdan had had to drink, and he replied: “I believe you have the wine right there.” He then failed field sobriety tests and blew a 0.25 on a breathalyzer, three times the legal limit, according to the report.
Zdan later called his girlfriend and asked her to collect him from the police station, saying, “Well, it happened,” during the call, adding that his arrest was “bound to happen,” police said.
After initially facing six charges, Zdan ultimately pleaded guilty to two of them in a plea deal: failing to report an accident and driving under the influence. He paid fines of $830 in January 2021, according to NJ.com, and the rest of the charges were dismissed.
“I behaved wrongly and irresponsibly,” Zdan, 38, said in a statement. “It was the first—and last—time I drove under the influence. According to the police report, the incident sideswiping another car was described as ‘minor.’ I thank God no one was injured and no one else was involved, but it should never have happened.”
He added that he’s “not the same person I was that night” and that’s he’s spent “four years improving myself and striving to be a better man.” He also told the Associated Press: “I am truly sorry for the disregard for others and the law I showed four years ago. It was the first and last time.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/hair-raising-details-of-gop-senate-candidate-alex-zdans-dui-emerge
GOP candidate for Senate in New Jersey faced 2020 charges of DUI, leaving scene of accident
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey Republican candidate for U.S. Senate was arrested in August 2020 and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident, according to police reports that came to light Wednesday.
Alex Zdan, a former TV news reporter who launched a bid for the seat currently occupied by indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, was driving his his pickup in Hopewell when he crossed the center lane and swiped another vehicle, damaging a mirror and the driver’s side of the vehicle, according to police report details published by Politico New Jersey.
Zdan left the scene, according to the police report, and was found parked in a convenience store lot. Officers determined he was involved in the accident, and he failed field sobriety tests and later blew a 0.25 on a breathalyzer test, more than three times the legal limit.
When asked if he was involved in an accident, he told an officer: “I don’t think so,” according to the report.
Zdan said in a texted message Wednesday that he’s committed to transparency for himself and his opponents.
“I am truly sorry for the disregard for others and the law I showed four years ago. It was the first and last time,” he said.
Zdan added that he was arrested and soon afterward released on his own recognizance. He said he pleaded guilty, paid fines and completed the terms of his agreement with authorities.
“No one is perfect — but no one is above the law. I’ve learned from my mistakes and have endeavored to improve myself every day,” he told the Globe.
Zdan is competing against Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner and southern New Jersey businessman Curtis Bashaw for the GOP nomination in this year’s U.S. Senate race.
Menendez has not said if he’s running again as he faces federal corruption charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Zdan has won endorsements from Republican Party officials, including in Passaic and Monmouth counties.
New Jersey last elected a Republican to the Senate in 1972.
https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-senate-c06dd5f523ef407c9dc209d1ec3c5802
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