A crash in Morris Township on Thursday night severed the carotid artery of a male passenger, who was rushed to Morristown Medical Center after police found the driver standing outside his vehicle at South and Pine streets in Morristown.
According to police, Ryan Doherty, 21, of Chatham, had continued driving after crashing his vehicle into a PVC pipe fence at 53 Spring Valley Road, lacerating the neck of his passenger.
Doherty was bloodied and “clearly distraught” when police encountered him in Morristown at 10:33 pm, Morris Township Patrolman Louis Mangiaracina said in a sworn statement.
Shirtless and shoeless but wearing socks, his fly unzippered, Doherty swayed while repeatedly asking about the status of his friend, who he blamed for jerking the steering wheel and causing the crash, according to the patrolman.
The passenger’s identity has not been released.
There was a “significant amount of blood” on Doherty’s right arm, and bloody streaks on his chest, stomach and shorts, Mangiaracina stated.
Alternating between crying and “antagonistic behavior, name calling and pleading,” Doherty kept trying to stand despite being told to remain seated, the officer reported.
Although Doherty smelled of alcohol, his suspected high level of intoxication and his behavior convinced police it would be “unsafe” to conduct standard field sobriety tests. He was arrested for drunk driving and taken to Morristown Medical Center for medical evaluation and a blood alcohol test.
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office said Doherty has been charged with assault by auto and leaving the scene of an accident. They are third-degree offenses, according to the police complaint. He is being held in the Morris County Jail.
