Oops: NJ woman drunkenly sideswiped state trooper’s car, cops say

Police say a Monmouth County woman was intoxicated, using a cell phone and driving with a suspended license when she sideswiped a state trooper's vehicle Monday.

According to State Police, Kristen Szatmary, 31, of Brick, sideswiped the trooper on the southbound side of Route 35 in Eatontown at about 12:07 p.m. Authorities say another trooper who had been driving behind the police vehicle that was hit, witnessed the incident.

Following the accident, Szatmary, who was driving a Ford Focus, was asked to perform field sobriety tests "because she displayed signs of intoxication," state police said.

Following the investigation, police say she was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while suspended, reckless driving and driving while using a cell phone without a hands-free device. Police say she was processed and released pending a future court date.

"When you get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, your odds of getting into a crash go up," State Police said in a post on their Facebook Page. "When you get behind the wheel, driving with only one hand while talking on the phone, your odds of getting into a crash go up. When you do both, well, you get the point. These types of driving practices increase your odds of seriously injuring or killing yourself or someone else."

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.