NEWARK — When a Newark cop allegedly told a drunken driver to get out of his pickup truck and sober up, it probably seemed like he was giving the guy a break.
But shortly after instructing the driver to hoof it and retrieve the pickup later, officer Enrique Gonzalez took the truck to Garfield, where police say he used it to ram his estranged wife’s car.
Gonzalez was off-duty, but in uniform on Nov. 15 when he pulled the driver over near Walnut Street in Newark’s East Ward, Police Director Samuel DeMaio said today.
"He says, ‘Okay, I’m not going to arrest you. Park your car here. I’m going to leave the keys in the tailpipe. Come back and get the car when you’re sober,’" DeMaio said. The driver "comes back several hours later and finds the car gone."
Meanwhile, Gonzalez took the Ford F-450, DeMaio said, and went to pay his estranged wife’s car a visit when he was pulled over by Elmwood Park police for erratic driving.
"He said he was late for work, he apologizes, and they let him go," DeMaio said.
Gonzalez, 28, continued to Garfield, where he allegedly rammed his wife’s 2011 Hyundai. The Hyundai was parked behind the woman's Buick which also sustained damage. DeMaio said the six-year Newark veteran then informed local police that some unidentified person had inflicted the damage.
"The officer subsequently tried to make an accident report at the Garfield Police Department on behalf of his wife’s vehicle," DeMaio said.
But Gonzalez allegedly copped an attitude when he made his report, leading Garfield police to call their Newark counterparts and lodge a complaint, DeMaio said. Around the same time, the owner of the pickup reported his truck stolen in Newark.
As the pieces fell into place, DeMaio suspended Gonzalez immediately and Newark’s internal affairs bureau launched an investigation.
On Friday, Gonzalez was charged with criminal mischief and receiving stolen property, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, which is aiding in the investigation. Gonzalez is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 15.
