A New Milford man is facing drunk-driving charges after an SUV crashed into a building in River Edge, in Bergen County, New Jersey, News 12 reported. The case, presented as an update to a breaking story first reported the previous day, has left a woman seriously injured and the driver in police custody as the investigation continues.
Prosecutors identified the driver as Johan Valencia Restrepo. He was hospitalized following the crash but is also being held in police custody, and authorities have charged him in connection with driving while intoxicated, according to the account given by the prosecutor's office to the broadcaster.
According to prosecutors, the crash happened as Restrepo approached an intersection and failed to turn. Instead of following the curve of the road, the SUV continued forward, leaving its path and ultimately colliding with the building rather than staying on the roadway as it should have.
The moment was captured on surveillance video. The footage shows the SUV speeding down Midland Avenue, crossing Kinderkamack Road, and then driving straight into the building, illustrating just how fast the vehicle was travelling in the seconds before it struck the structure.
After hitting the building, the vehicle burst into flames at around three in the morning, according to the report, turning the crash site into a fire scene in the early-morning hours and adding to the severity of an incident authorities are treating as a drunk-driving case.
A woman who was inside the car at the time of the crash remains hospitalized with serious injuries, authorities said. With the driver also hospitalized and now in custody, the case is expected to move forward through the courts as prosecutors pursue the drunk-driving charges against Restrepo.