Underage Drinker Smashes Cars, Leaves Scenes, Cops Say

A Morristown man, who was allegedly drunk underage, smashed into multiple vehicles in different locations on a single night, police said.

Jose Duarte, 20, of Flagler Street, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated underage, driving while suspended, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, reckless driving and careless driving at 11:55 p.m. on Aug. 26, according to police.

According to a police report filed by , county dispatch reported a vehicle had been hit outside 37 Hill St. by a red pickup truck that was trying to leave the parking lot. As Petr headed to Hill Street, dispatch said a caller had just heard a loud crash on Elm Street, the report said. As the officer passed Elm Street, he saw a Volkswagen Jetta had sustained heavy rear-side damage there, according to the report. Petr called in the license plate number of the damaged vehicle before continuing to Hill Street, the report said.

A severely damaged Mercedes was found at 37 Hill St., but the red pickup truck had left the scene, according to the report. A 911 call, however, noted a red pickup truck was in the area of apartments on Franklin Street and had just hit a car, according to the report.

As Petr arrived at the apartment complex on Franklin Street, several people pointed the officer toward the rear of one of the buildings where he found a man walking away from a red pickup truck, according to the report. The officer stopped the man, later identified as Duarte, and told him to stand by another officer as he examined the vehicle. Petr observed the truck had damage to the bumper, the side, and a dangling passenger-side mirror, according to the report. The report also said he observed a missing passenger-side tire.

The report said officers noted the scent of alcohol on Duarte's breath, and that several witnesses identified him as the person who was driving the truck when it crashed into the vehicle at the apartment complex. 

Duarte, who originally denied driving the truck, later told police he did drive it, according to the report.

Duarte was transported to for treatment. He was later released into the custody of a relative.

For questions about this post, email john.dunphy@patch.com.