A reporter from the New York Post has been suspended from his position at the publication following a drunk driving incident Wednesday night.
Frank Rosario, 32, struck a parked car on Amsterdam Ave. in Harlem and fled the scene around 9 p.m. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident.
About 30 minutes after a witness called the cops, Rosario’s vehicle was spotted at Amsterdam and W. 144th St. Police found an open bottle of whiskey in the car, and a breathalyzer test indicated a blood-alcohol level of .211, nearly three times the legal limit.
“I’m sorry officer,” Rosario allegedly told the arresting officers. “I was drinking whiskey. I’m a reporter for the New York Post.”
Rosario was taken to the 28th Precinct stationhouse. He was charged with DWI, fleeing the scene of an accident, and driving while impaired.
The reporter, a resident of Rockland County, has no prior arrests on his record and was thereby released on his own recognizance on Thursday.
In an email statement, a spokesperson for the Post said that Rosario would be suspended from his reporting duties “pending the outcome of an internal investigation.”
When approached for comment after his arraignment in Manhattan criminal court, Rosario simply shook his head. His attorney, Wayne Charles Bodden, declined to comment as well.
Each day, there are nearly 300,000 drunk driving occurrences, but fewer than 4,000 of these drivers are arrested. Rosario may consider himself rather unlucky for getting caught; however, in New York County, more than 10 people are killed every year in alcohol-related automobile accidents. In this regard, Rosario was incredibly fortunate.
Though it may come as a surprise because of its busy streets, New York County is actually ranked 61 out of New York State’s 62 counties for DWI-related deaths per capita.
According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, the highest DWI-related death rate belongs to Hamilton County in the rural Adirondacks, with 8.48 deaths per 100,000 people. Of course, Hamilton’s population is a meager 4,715 people, and the average number of DWI deaths per year is 0.4.
Recent Comments