New details have emerged of an incident involving a New Jersey Republican candidate running for U.S. Senate in which he was accused of driving under the influence and failing to report an accident.
Former TV reporter Alex Zdan earlier this month acknowledged to the New Jersey Globe that he had a DUI from 2020 on his driving record. But more information about the full extent of what happened was disclosed by Politico on Wednesday based on police reports that indicated the incident may have been more serious than previously believed.
Zdan, who is running for the seat currently held by indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, swerved into oncoming traffic and grazed another vehicle at around 10 p.m. in Hopewell Township, according to an investigation report from the Hopewell Police Department. The collision knocked a mirror off the other vehicle and left scuff marks down its passenger side.
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Zdan allegedly left the scene. A police officer later found Zdan sleeping in the driver’s seat of his Dodge Ram in a parking lot, according to the report, adding that fresh scrape marks were visible on his vehicle. Police woke Zdan and noticed that he had “slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and person,” the report says, with officers also noting an open bottle of wine “that was missing liquid contents” in the driver’s side cup holder.
Asked by an officer if he’d been involved in an accident, Zdan allegedly answered: “I don’t think so.” The report said officers also asked what Zdan had had to drink, and he replied: “I believe you have the wine right there.” He then failed field sobriety tests and blew a 0.25 on a breathalyzer, three times the legal limit, according to the report.
Zdan later called his girlfriend and asked her to collect him from the police station, saying, “Well, it happened,” during the call, adding that his arrest was “bound to happen,” police said.
After initially facing six charges, Zdan ultimately pleaded guilty to two of them in a plea deal: failing to report an accident and driving under the influence. He paid fines of $830 in January 2021, according to NJ.com, and the rest of the charges were dismissed.
“I behaved wrongly and irresponsibly,” Zdan, 38, said in a statement. “It was the first—and last—time I drove under the influence. According to the police report, the incident sideswiping another car was described as ‘minor.’ I thank God no one was injured and no one else was involved, but it should never have happened.”
He added that he’s “not the same person I was that night” and that’s he’s spent “four years improving myself and striving to be a better man.” He also told the Associated Press: “I am truly sorry for the disregard for others and the law I showed four years ago. It was the first and last time.”
