Bergen County sues alleged drunk driver for $86K in damages after he plowed through jail

Keldy Ortiz | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Vehicle crashed into the Bergen County Jail A vehicle crashed into the Bergen County Jail on Friday, January 11, 2019.

Bergen County had to fork over $86,000 in repair costs after a man who police say was drunk drove his car into the county jail in Hackensack earlier this year. Now they want the South Hackensack man to repay the bill, court documents show.

Troy H. MacDonald, 52, pleaded guilty to a charge of purposefully causing damage in the January crash. He was sentenced Oct. 22 to five years’ probation, court records show. Eight days later, Bergen County filed their lawsuit against MacDonald and his wife.

At the time of the crash, police believed MacDonald suffered a medical episode, but later said their investigation found that MacDonald was drunk when he crashed his Acura into the administration entrance of the building.

Invoices detailed in court documents show the emergency repairs cost the county $86,640.

“Defendant Troy H. MacDonald was, and is, a known alcoholic and was, and is, wholly irresponsible, incompetent and/or unfit as the operator of a motor vehicle,” according to the lawsuit filed against MacDonald and his wife seeking damages. “Defendant Anne MacDonald’s act of entrusting Troy H. MacDonald with an automobile on the roadways of New Jersey was an act of negligence that created an appreciable risk of harm to others and property, and that negligence was a proximate cause of Plaintiff’s damages.”

While no one was hurt inside the jail, MacDonald was hospitalized following the crash, police said. The crash did not impact the holding area where the inmates were.

Lawyers for Bergen County could not be reached for comment. Troy and Anne MacDonald could not be reached for comment.

Keldy Ortiz is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all the major news happening in North Jersey, subscribe here. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Email: ortizk@northjersey.com Twitter: @KeldyOrtiz

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