Alleged Drunk Driver Charged after Franklin Lakes Crash

A Franklin Lakes man who police say was drunk behind the wheel was arrested after a single car accident early Friday morning caused serious injuries to his passenger, a Wyckoff resident.

Authorities said that around 2:30 a.m. Friday, Jason Caulfield, 21, was driving south on Colonial Road in Franklin Lakes toward Route 208 when he lost control of a 2010 BMW 135.

An investigation by Franklin Lakes police determined that the car crossed the double yellow line and veered off the road, striking a utility pole and fire hydrant before flipping and landing on its roof.

Donald Fletcher, 21, of Wyckoff, who was in the front seat, was taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center for treatment of injuries that were serious but “do not appear to be life threatening,” the prosecutor said.

Caulfield was also brought to St. Joseph’s for injuries suffered in the crash.

Police said that the driver showed signs of intoxication while at the scene of the accident, but prosecutors have not yet released results from a blood sample taken at the hospital.

Caulfield was charged with aggravated assault by auto, a third degree crime that carries a maximum of five years in prison if convicted.