Police bodycam video sheds light on DWI arrest of Sussex GOP chairman

Sparta police body camera footage of Sussex County GOP Chairman Jerry Scanlan's drunken driving arrest shows the former county college vice chair placed in handcuffs after fumbling around and stuttering his words as he struggles to complete a series of field sobriety tests.

The video footage, obtained by the New Jersey Herald through a records request, shows a cooperative but confused Scanlan, 55, of Hopatcong, unable to explain what happened or how much he had to drink at the local VFW Post as he speaks to Sparta Cpl. Mark Mastandrea and Officer Michael Poon, who each raised immediate concerns over Scanlan's possible insobriety.

Scanlan was arrested around 6:45 p.m. on Feb. 19 in the parking lot of a realty company off Woodport Road in Sparta after police say while traveling south, he crashed his Nissan Xterra into a Lexus SUV stopped at the light at the intersection of Wynona Parkway. No injuries were reported.

Scanlan, who has served at the helm of the county's Republican committee since 2015, was overly agreeable when first approached by officers following the crash, shaking an officer's hand and asking his name and stating "I'm sorry" in what would be the first of many apologies he would make.

Scanlan will have his first appearance in June in the Frankford Joint Municipal Court after the case was adjourned several times in the shared municipal court of Sparta/Hamburg/Ogdensburg. It was not immediately known why the case was transferred nor why it was pushed back several months. Scanlan, in a phone call after his arrest, noted he was going away for six weeks in April, which may have played a factor.

Scanlan did not return calls for comment this week. Newton-based attorney David Dumbroff is listed as Scanlan's defense attorney. Calls and emails left for him were not returned.

'You're fumbling all over the place'

"Is everyone OK?" Officer Poon questions around 6:30 p.m. as he walks toward the crash scene, where one of two occupants of the Lexus and Scanlan stand near their vehicles.

"Yeah, absolutely sir," Scanlan is quick to say to the officer before he and the driver of the Lexus are asked to move their vehicles to a nearby parking lot.

"Absolutely, I'm sorry sir, what's your name?" Scanlan asks as he gestures for a handshake before pulling his hand away.

Scanlan's demeanor was polite, calm and cooperative, Poon writes in his report, but concerns about his level of intoxication were noted multiple times, with remarks that Scanlan had bloodshot, watery eyes and droopy lids and slurred, rambling and slow speech. Poon, in the report, also stated that Scanlan was swaying, sagging, staggering and unable to stand and continually grasping for support.

Mastandrea, who arrived shortly after to assist, is seen on his body camera footage approaching Scanlan, who is searching his wallet for his driver's license.

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"What happened?" Mastandrea questions, prompting a response from Scanlan that appears to show him stumbling over his words: "I'm not absolutely sure, I'm not, I have no, I'm not sure" before stating that he had just come from the VFW, located about a half-mile from where the crash occurred.

"How much did you have to drink down there?" Mastandrea asks, to which Scanlan responds "one" before being questioned again, "One what?"

Scanlan states he had one drink but when asked what he had — "Beer, a mixed drink?" Mastandrea questions — Scanlan nods approvingly but only responds with "one one one drink."

While Scanlan fumbles through his paperwork in search of his insurance, Poon further questions the circumstances of the crash, stating, "You rear-ended them I'm assuming, kinda just bumped into them?"

"I really don't think so, I'm sorry sir," Scanlan responds.

Scanlan, who is dressed in a suit and a red-embroidered tie which is loosened around his neck, tells officers "I'm sorry, sir" multiple times throughout the footage and constantly questions if he is being "rude" or "mean." The footage also captures Scanlan undergoing the three standardized field sobriety tests: horizontal-gaze-nystagmus, the walk-and-turn and the one-leg stand.

Poon tells Scanlan he wants to put him through a series of tests because his "suspicion is raised" Scanlan might be too intoxicated to drive.

"I can smell alcohol coming off your breath, you're stuttering your words, you're a little uneasy on your feet, you're all over the place and you're fumbling all over the place too," Poon tells Scanlan, who tells the officer he'll agree to the tests.

Scanlan is given four attempts to follow a pen with his eyes only, is directed to walk nine steps in a straight line, heel-to-toe and is asked to lift and point his toe, stare at it and count. He fails all three tests, police reports show.

The police report states that Scanlan had two bourbons at the VFW. Scanlan's breathalyzer test resulted in a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15%, nearly double the legal limit to drive, according to the police report. Scanlan had earlier that day attended the Sussex GOP's annual Lincoln Day Brunch fundraiser at the Lake Mohawk Golf Club. The event included attendees Sen. Steven Oroho and Jack Ciattarelli, a former gubernatorial candidate and assemblyman who Scanlan was seen posing in pictures wearing the same suit and tie at the time of his arrest.

Scanlan has been in the hot seat in prior years, including a 2019 reprimand by his former board of trustees colleagues at Sussex County Community College after he posted a series of offensive tweets on the county GOP's Twitter account, including retweets of memes about Muslims and four congresswomen of color. He later apologized and the trustees censured him and demoted him from his officer position.

In New Jersey, first-time DWI offenders with a blood alcohol concentration reading of .15% or higher face a potential of up to 30 days in jail and a suspended driver's license between four and six months after an ignition interlock device is installed in the driver's car plus an additional nine to 15 months after the driver's license has been returned.

Scanlan was also issued summonses for reckless driving and careless driving.

Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.