A pedestrian who was hit by a car in southern New Jersey, and then stuck in the windshield as the driver continued down the highway for over a mile has died.
Ocean County prosecutors said Kenneth Moeller, 61, of Lanoka Harbor, died Monday night, a week after he was hit on a highway shoulder. The driver of the vehicle was Marcos Ortega, 33, who kept moving for roughly 1.5 miles after the collision, before being pulled over by police. The incident occurred on November 10 in Ocean Township.
Ortega, of Little Egg Harbor, was initially charged with leaving the scene of an accident and causing serious bodily injury to another while driving under the influence. Since Moeller has died, Ortega now faces more serious charges, and is being held on $250,000 cash bail, with no ten percent option. It is unclear if Ortega has hired an attorney.
Prosecutors said that authorities had received reports of a man driving erratically, with what looked like another man lying on the hood of his car. When police finally pulled Ortega over, Moeller was discovered to be lodged half way into the windshield. Blood samples were taken from Ortega at the scene, and the results are pending.
Police say Marcos Ortega hit someone on Rt. 9 in Ocrean Twp and kept driving with victim lodged in his windshield. pic.twitter.com/hv5ssTRGjG
— FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) November 12, 2014
DUI and alcohol-related vehicular incidents cause an estimated $45 billion in damages every year. A blood alcohol content assessment in excess of a state’s given threshold dictates a criminal offense with no need to prove impairment. In New Jersey, a person is guilty of drunk driving if he or she operates a motor vehicle with a BAC of 0.08 percent or greater.
One can be arrested for operating an animal while intoxicated as well. A Boulder, Colorado man was arrested after riding his horse, Dillon, while under the influence last September. Drunken horse rider Patrick Schumacher was arrested on misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, prohibited use of weapons and reckless endangerment. Fortunately, no one was injured in that incident.