More information about a New Jersey state trooper is coming to light after dashcam video was released showing the aftermath of an alleged drunken driving incident.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Roadside was arrested last month after he allegedly struck another vehicle while at the Monmouth Service Area near Exit 100 of the Garden State Parkway. Roadside was driving a marked state police cruiser at the time of the crash, and was accused of having had an open container of alcohol in the vehicle.
According to the dashcam video, Roadside became defensive as soon as the other trooper approached him.
He was heard saying "I'm not drunk."
He tried to explain his demeanor by saying he is on medication.
"I had a prostate surgery. I'm on anesthesia right now," he could be heard saying on the video. "I just want to get home."
The video shows that his shirt was untucked and inside-out, and his T-shirt was showing. His blood alcohol level was allegedly 0.16, twice the legal limit.
Kimberly Wilson, the woman whose car Roadside reportedly struck, says that their interaction together was unnerving.
"He didn't look at me in my eyes or face me," she says. "He was just kind of looking down and away from me."
The dashcam video shows that Roadside apparently tried to resolve the crash on his own. Wilson can be seen telling the responding trooper that Roadside offered her money.
"He said 'I'll take care ot it. I'll write you a check for $1,000.'" Wilson tells the other trooper on the video.
"I knew something wasn't right ... but I wasn't thinking a state trooper was drunk," Wilson tells News 12 New Jersey. She was not injured during the crash
Roadside was working at a construction site just before the accident, according to investigators. He usually works security at the Statehouse in Trenton.
Roadside has been suspended without pay following an investigation.