STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 23-year-old man was arrested for allegedly being under the influence of alcohol during a crash on the Goethals Bridge on Sunday morning.
The suspect allegedly was one of two drivers taken into custody in unrelated accidents that happened within minutes of each other on the span.
Two police vehicles were damaged and an officer examined for injuries at a nearby hospital following the crash, according a spokeswoman for Port Authority Police.
Just before 5 a.m., Jonahs A. Hernandez, 23, of New York, allegedly crashed his car on the westbound side of the bridge. He has been charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, driving while ability impaired and operating a motor vehicle as an unlicensed driver, according to a Port Authority spokeswoman and public records.
Released on his own recognizance, Hernandez is due to appear in Criminal Court on May. 6, according to public records. An attorney for the suspect did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While his vehicle was being rigged to a tow truck, Flor E. Zhagui, a 26-year-old woman from Massachusetts, allegedly was driving on the same side of the bridge when she crashed into two unoccupied Port Authority Police vehicles. An officer standing near the crash suffered minor injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital, authorities said.
Zhagui was issued a motor vehicle summons for reckless driving, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority said. Additional information about her case was not available in public records.
In total, two civilian vehicles and two police vehicles were damaged in the crash. One of the vehicles was overturned when crews arrived, according to emergency radio transmissions.