A Newark police lieutenant and three other city cops are accused of falsifying records after going bar hopping in full uniform before one of them crashed their car.

The day of drinking eventually ended with Michael Chirico, 55, driving the wrong way down University Avenue, a one-way street, and hitting a car driven by a woman with four children inside, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday. He now faces a DUI charge in the Jan. 18 incident.

The woman and children were not injured in the crash, officials said.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II said his office has zero-tolerance towards “officers who violate their oath and the public trust that comes with it.”

“The reprehensible behavior alleged to have occurred in this case undermines confidence in law enforcement, and gives a bad name to the vast majority of our officers who risk their lives each day to protect the public,” said Stephens in a statement. “Not only did these officers barhop around the City of Newark while on duty and in full uniform, but they lied in an attempt to cover it up. One officer’s conduct put innocent people at risk.”

Chirico, of Newark, was driving his personal vehicle and was off duty at the time of the crash, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Katherine Carter told NJ Advance Media. He separately drank with one officer earlier in the day and then two others later on who were all on duty, she added.

Those cops falsely reported on Jan. 18 they responded to incidents while they were actually drinking at bars throughout Newark, the prosecutor’s office said. Chirico, Lt. Norberto Soares, 42, and officers Erik Blount, 33, and Tashia Jones, 35, now face a third-degree charge of tampering with public records.

Surveillance footage and other evidence showed they were not present at the location reported in their patrol logs, the prosecutor’s office said.

Soares, Jones and Blount did not respond to Chirico’s crash. Other Newark police officers responded instead, the prosecutor’s office spokeswoman said.

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose told NJ Advance Media the cops have all been suspended without pay.

“These officers who were charged today do not represent the hard working officers that work hard each and every day, especially during these tough uncertain times risking their lives,” Ambrose said.

Newark Police Superior Officers’ Association Capt. John Chrystal III said the lieutenant who was charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“The Prosecutor has to prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, not in the court of the public media,” said Chrystal. “Just because you are a police officer does not entitle that officer to a watered down version of his Constitutional Rights.”

Newark Fraternal Order of Police President James Stewart said it was “disheartening” to learn of the charges through the media, only after the prosecutor’s office released a statement and photographs of the officers.

“Despite the claims of the Prosecutor, this is not about police officers consuming alcohol, but about omissions on a log sheet, something that clearly should be handled on an administrative level, not in a courtroom,” said Stewart.

The Professional Standards Bureau of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Newark Police Department Internal Affairs Unit and the Consent Decree Unit conducted the investigation.

All four were charged through summonses and their first court appearance is scheduled for July 7.

NJ Advance Media reporter Steve Strunsky contributed to this report.

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico.