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The former police chief of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, who retired in March, has been charged with driving under the influence after he crashed his vehicle into a utility pole in South Plainfield in September.

Brian T. Mahoney, 51, spent eleven years as the top cop in Scotch Plains.

Just before midnight on September 10, he was driving his 2016 Dodge Durango westbound on New Durham Road when his vehicle veered and struck a utility pole, which split in half.

In a police report, the responding officer says that Mahoney initially said that he “did not remember why he struck the pole,” but later told the officer he was talking on his cell phone at the time of the accident.

Mahoney’s breath smelled of alcohol, according to the report, and after he was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for treatment of his injuries, police asked for a search warrant and got a blood sample to test for alcohol.

The former chief has been charged with DWI, reckless driving, and failure to maintain lane.

As a 30-year Scotch Plains cop and its chief for more than a decade, Mahoney obviously knows what he’s facing.

Whether you’re a cop or an ordinary citizen, a DWI charge can seriously impede your future.

Call Matthew Reisig today at 732-625-9660 and talk to an experienced New Jersey DWI defense lawyer for free.

It’s a widely held belief that police officers get special treatment from their colleagues when they’re accused of breaking the law.

According to Tom Scurria of Waterford, NJ, he actually witnessed this very conduct, and his allegations have launched internal affairs investigations in two area police departments.

The situation began on a Sunday afternoon when Scurria, with his wife in the car, was driving west on the White Horse Pike near Atoc Brewing Company.

A car driving in the opposite direction suddenly took a left hand turn directly in front of him, forcing him to slam on the brakes and nearly causing an accident.

Scurria followed the car into the Town Center plaza parking lot and confronted the driver, Nicholas Gagliardi, who was able to exit his car only with difficulty.

Gagliardi explained that he was a Camden police officer, and though he denied drinking, Scurria said that he kept repeating that nothing would happen to him because he’s a cop, after he learned that Scurria had called the police.

Indeed, when Waterford Police arrived on the scene, Scurria says he and his wife were questioned extensively, and police only performed a field sobriety test on Gagliardi a full hour after the incident.

Gagliardi was ultimately arrested and is currently suspended, pending an internal affairs investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, Waterford’s internal affairs department is investigating the behavior of the officers who responded to Scurria’s call to determine whether their actions were timely and appropriate.

Not everybody gets to hide behind a badge when they’re accused of drunk driving.

If you’re facing DWI or related charges in New Jersey, an experienced DWI defense attorney can make a big difference in your case.

Call Matthew Reisig today at 732-625-9660 and talk to a lawyer for free.