Jersey City Councilman Khemraj "Chico" Ramchal was arrested and charged with drunken driving after he was involved in an accident early this morning, according to a police report obtained by The Jersey Journal.

Ramchal, 39, was traveling southbound on West Side Avenue in a 2013 Ford Explorer when he collided with a taxi cab heading west on Communipaw Avenue, and then the cab spun out of control and hit a third vehicle, witnesses told police.

Ramchal had a blood alcohol level of .15, almost twice the legal limit, the report says. The vehicle Ramchal was driving had emergency lights that were on at the time of the accident, a witness told police.

Ramchal was released at 5:43 this morning, police said. He did not return a request for comment and no one answered the door at his home this afternoon.

City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill called the incident "a very serious matter" and said "appropriate consequences will be immediately issued" after the police complete their investigation.

Last night, Ramchal was at Casino in the Park, a Lincoln Park catering hall, for a St. Patrick's Day party.

Ramchal told police he was driving south on West Side Avenue when the driver of a 2011 yellow Ford taxi "cut the red light," causing the cars to collide. The cab driver and the driver of the third vehicle, a 2004 Mazda, told police Ramchal blew through a red light and caused the accident, according to the police report.

The driver of the Mazda told The Jersey Journal that the car Ramchal was driving "t-boned" the cab as Ramchal drove through the intersection. He asked not to be identified.

The police report says when police approached Ramchal's car to see if he was hurt, the officer "detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the vehicle." The officer also smelled alcohol on the councilman's breath, the report says.

Police then called for a field sobriety officer to respond to the scene. That officer administered a field sobriety test, which Ramchal failed, according to the report.

An Alcotest was then administered and registered the .15 blood alcohol level, the report says.

The vehicle he was driving was impounded.

A passenger in a taxicab involved in the accident was taken to Jersey City Medical Center after complaining of back pain, the report says.

Ramchal, a Democrat, was first elected to the City Council in June 2013, after he failed to win a majority in the May 2013 council race. A Hudson County Improvement Authority enforcement officer, he was an aide to Freeholder Bill O'Dea, his political mentor, and to David Donnelly, the former Ward B councilman. He is a strong ally of Mayor Steve Fulop.

A request for comment from Council President Rolando Lavarro was not returned.

This story has been updated to include new information.



Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.