Milton J. Hernandez

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A Bergen County man was arrested after speeding away from an officer, almost causing a head-on crash, and being found with a loaded imitation handgun, local police said.

The incident happened on Thursday, Nov. 27, just before 2 a.m., when Officer Michael Carrino saw a black Nissan SUV idling in the wrong direction on the 300 block of Page Avenue, according to the Lyndhurst Police Capt. Paul Haggerty.

The driver, Milton J. Hernandez, 24, was slumped over in the driver's seat asleep, police said.

Officer Carrino knocked on the window to wake him.

Once Hernandez awoke, he looked at Carrino with a blank stare and let out a loud yell, according to the arrest report. Police said Hernandez then put the vehicle into drive and accelerated forward, to the point where he almost struck a street sign, police said.

Hernandez continued westbound at a high rate of speed, swerving all over the roadway, police said. As he approached Stuyvesant Avenue, he almost caused a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle, Haggerty said.

Officer Carrino radioed for backup, including the township’s DWI enforcement detail, and found Hernandez pulled over about a quarter-mile away at Page Avenue and Willow Avenue, police said. Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of DWI and obstruction.

A search of the vehicle revealed a large capacity handgun magazine between the front center console and passenger seat, police said. Beneath the driver’s seat, Carrino found an imitation Glock handgun with its orange tip removed and loaded with a magazine, police said. The weapon had no descriptive markings to conspicuously indicate it was in fact an imitation model, police said.

Hernandez refused breath testing and was charged with DWI, multiple motor-vehicle violations, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and obstruction of justice. He was released to a responsible party.

“This is another prime example of our officers’ commitment to eradicating impaired driving violations within the township,” Lyndhurst Police Chief Richard Jarvis said. “The seizure of the imitation firearm that resulted from this stop undoubtedly bolstered the life-saving measures created with such an arrest.”