A South Jersey police chief has been charged with drunken driving after crashing his truck

A New Jersey police chief has been placed on restricted duty after being arrested Friday for allegedly driving drunk on a residential street, knocking down a mailbox and stop sign, and fleeing the scene.

Bordentown Township Police Chief Brian Pesce, who has been with the department for 23 years and has served as chief since 2018, was charged with five crimes as a result of the crash in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, just before 10:30 p.m. Friday.

After crashing his pickup truck near the intersection of Bruin Drive and Terrapin Lane, police said, Pesce drove away and was arrested a short time later. In addition to DUI, Pesce was charged with reckless and careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage, and failing to report an accident.

Pesce has been placed on restricted duty while an investigation continues, said Bordentown Township Administrator Michael Theokas. He declined further comment.

Attempts to reach Pesce’s lawyer, John Hartmann, of Princeton, were not successful.

Pesce was promoted to acting chief in 2017 after the township’s then-chief, Frank Nucera, was charged with federal hate crimes for allegedly attacking a handcuffed Black teen in 2016. Two juries deadlocked on those charges, but Nucera was convicted of lying to FBI agents during the investigation. In May of last year, he was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison.

After Pesce took over as acting chief, he met with members of the local NAACP branch to assure them that Nucera’s misdeeds were not a reflection of the department as a whole. As chief, Pesce worked to instill a culture of inclusion with a focus on community policing, greater transparency, and increased diversity, according to the township’s website.