Crime & Safety

Hillsdale Driver Charged with DWI After Ridgewood Crash

An 84-year-old Hillsdale man is alleged to have been under the influence when he hit a telephone pole on Van Emburgh Avenue on Sunday, Sept. 23.

An 84-year-old man from Hillsdale is facing DWI charges for allegedly tossing a few back before he lost control of his vehicle on Van Emburgh Avenue and slammed into a utility pole.

According to Ridgewood police, Victor Frazita, 84, of Hillsdale, was traveling north on Van Emburgh Avenue on Sunday, Sept. 23 when he lost control of his vehicle near Orville Place and hit the utility pole. The force of the impact split the pole and damaged another pole tethered to it.

Authorities say Frazita was extricated from the heavily damaged vehicle and upon completing the investigation, was charged with DWI and failure to maintain lane. He was taken to Valley Hospital that night with what were called non-life-threatening injuries.

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Frazita was the second man in 24 hour period to have allegedly drove drunk and crashed into a telephone pole in Ridgewood on Sunday, Sept. 23.

Hours earlier, , fled the scene and then struck another pole.

Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The man, identified by police as Victor-Melt Campos, 37, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson with serious head trauma injuries.

Frazita has an upcoming date at Ridgewood Municipal Court.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.


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