A New Jersey State Police sergeant has been charged with driving while intoxicated after rear-ending a vehicle at a rest stop while working construction detail, NBC New York has learned.

Sgt. Michael Roadside, 51, also allegedly had an open container of alcohol in his patrol car.

State Police spokesman Capt. Stephen Jones confirmed that Roadside was suspended without pay Tuesday after being relieved of his service weapon Monday night.

According to Jones, Roadside, a 28-year veteran of the force, had been working traffic security at a construction site near the Garden State Parkway Monday when he rear-ended a white Audi in the parking lot of the Monmouth Rest Stop in Wall Township. The female driver was not injured.

One law enforcement source said Roadside had a blood alcohol level of 0.16, twice the legal limit.

In addition to DWI, he is charged with careless driving and having an open container of alcohol in his patrol vehicle.

All three charges are traffic summonses, which will require Roadside to appear in Wall Municipal Court at an unspecified future date.

Roadside's union, the State Trooper NCO Association, had no comment. A number for the sergeant could not immediately be obtained.



New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission said Roadside had his driver's license suspended once -- in 1983 when he was in a teenager, before he joined the force. The suspension followed four tickets in a few years for careless driving, speeding and disregarding a stop sign, the agency said.