The Lyndhurst Police Department’s participation in Goal Zero on Thanksgiving Eve paid major dividends with not just a drunken-driver being hauled off the streets, but also with the seizure of an illegal, imitation firearm, Capt. Paul F. Haggerty, the Lyndhurst PD’s public-information officer said.
According to Haggerty:
On Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025 at approximately 2 a.m., Officer Michael A. Carrino was on patrol on the 300 block of Page Avenue. At that time, Officer Carrino observed a black Nissan SUV parked, idling on the eastbound curbline facing the wrong direction. Upon approaching the vehicle, Officer Carrino observed its driver and sole occupant, Milton Hernandez, slumped over in the driver seat asleep.
Upon approaching the vehicle to make contact with Hernandez, Officer Carrino knocked on the driver’s door window in an attempt to awake him. Once Hernandez awoke, he looked at Officer Carrino with a blank stare and let out a loud yell. Hernandez proceeded to put the vehicle into drive and accelerate forward, to the point where he almost struck a street sign. Hernandez continued westbound on Page Avenue at a high rate of speed swerving all over the roadway. As Hernandez approached Stuyvesant Avenue, he almost caused a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle traveling east on Page Avenue.
Officer Carrino began radioing to additional patrol units as well as the departmental DWI enforcement detail that had been deployed due to the high frequency of impaired driving incidents on Thanksgiving Eve. Officer Carrino had returned to his patrol vehicle and attempted to locate Hernandez, where located he pulled over on Page Avenue at the intersection with Willow Avenue, approximately ¼ mile down the roadway from the initial encounter.
Once Hernandez stopped, Officer Carrino immediately placed him under arrest for suspicion of drunken driving as well as obstruction of justice. A subsequent search of Hernandez’s vehicle revealed what appeared to be a large-capacity handgun magazine between the front-center console and passenger seat. Additionally, beneath the driver’s seat, Officer Carrino located an imitation Glock handgun with its orange tip removed and loaded with a magazine. The weapon had no descriptive markings to conspicuously indicate it was in fact an imitation model.
Hernandez refused to submit to breath testing and was charged accordingly with this violation was well as drunken driving amongst several motor vehicle violations.
Hernandez was released from police custody to a responsible party on multiple summonses as well as criminal charges for fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon as well as obstruction of justice, a disorderly persons offense.
“This is another prime example of our officers’ commitment to eradicating impaired driving violations within the township,” Haggerty said. “The seizure of the imitation firearm that resulted from this stop undoubtedly bolstered the life-saving measures created with such an arrest.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.