Midland Park Police Officer Charged with DWI After ATV Crash

A Midland Park Police Officer who had been drinking alcohol as part of a police training program flipped an illegally operated ATV Thursday afternoon, seriously injuring himself according to .

Joseph B. Gaeta, 31, of Wyckoff, who was charged with driving while intoxicated, was attempting to make a right turn at the intersection of Godwin Avenue and Greenhaven Road when he lost control of the vehicle.

"The machine was on top of him, he went into the ground and struck his face,"  Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said. "He has significant facial injuries and is having surgery today."

The  transported Gaeta to Hackensack Medical Center following the accident.

Fox indicated that additional charges were pending, but Gaeta's health issues would have to be addressed first. 

Midland Park Police Chief John Casson spoke with Gaeta Friday, saying the officer sounded groggy prior to being prepped for a 4 p.m. surgery for injuries sustained in the crash. 

Casson added that the case is still being investigated, but that Gaeta had a clean service record.

"It's a very unfortunate situation," said Casson.

Gaeta, a patrol officer in Midland Park, had earlier been at the Bergen County Police Academy where he attended a class in DWI arrests taught by the New Jersey State Police. 

Gaeta was a controlled drinking subject in the class, during which he is given measured amounts of alcohol, according to Fox.

Police officers attending the class have the opportunity to view the drinking subject take field sobriety tests while sober, and then again later in the day after alcohol is consumed, so as to measure the differences in their physical abilities. 

Gaeta was given a breath test while at the class that indicated his blood alcohol level was .13%, Fox said.

He was driven home from the police academy by another police officer and then drove the ATV vehicle, which cannot be legally operated on a roadway.

The program, which requires release forms to be signed by both the officer imbibing as well as the individual driving him home, is not at fault, Chief Fox said. 

"It's an excellent program for police officers for DWI arrests," he said. "What happened afterwards is a matter of personal responsibility."

Stay with Patch for more as this story develops.