The suspect in the early morning wreck was found parked in a driveway less than half a mile away.
Lopatcong Township police responding to a crash scene early Wednesday found a traffic light knocked down, but no vehicle, according to a news release.
A short time later, they found the driver they say is responsible, intoxicated and parked in a driveway less than a half mile away.
Police said the crash happened just before 1 a.m. at Roseberry Street and Belvidere Road, the entrance to Phillipsburg High School. Officers gathered evidence and reportedly found the offending vehicle was parked in a driveway near North Third and Aurora streets.
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That's where they arrested 24-year-old Dustin Burns, of the first block of Route 519, who allegedly admitted to hitting the pole. Burns had a blood-alcohol content of 0.14, almost twice the legal limit, police said.
Burns was charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident and related motor vehicle violations. He was released pending a municipal court appearance.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.