Three police officers and two civilians were hurt when an alleged speeding, drunk driver crashed into another car in New Jersey Sunday, sending that car into a parked car, which was propelled onto the sidewalk where the cops and two others were standing, authorities say.
The driver who caused the 8 p.m. accident at Ocean and Myrtle Avenues in Jersey City, 30-year-old Keith Jeffers, of Wegman Parkway, allegedly tried to flee the scene but was detained by police.
The parked car that was hit in the chain reaction had two passengers inside, authorities say, and those passengers, as well as the two civilians on the sidewalk, were taken to Jersey City Medical Center. They have since been released.
The three police officers were also taken to a hospital; two were treated and released and one remained hospitalized in stable condition Monday.
Two passengers who were in the vehicle that caused the accident were taken to a hospital but refused treatment.
"I saw all these cars crashing," Heidi Morales, who witnessed the crash, said. "There was a lot of people screaming, crying."
In a video obtained exclusively by NBC 4 New York, neighbors can be seen rushing to the side of one of the injured officers.
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Several people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, including the officer, who police said is expected to be OK. She was listed in stable condition Monday.
Jeffers was charged with four counts of assault by auto, knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident with serious bodily injury and driving while intoxicated. Information on an attorney for him wasn't immediately available.
