Cop who drove naked, totaled car, faces charges

3 officers looking at charges in alleged

coverup after accident

BY ROCHELLE LAUREN GERSZBERG

Staff Writer

An Edison police officer who drove naked and crashed his BMW into a delivery truck has been suspended without pay and could lose his job, authorities said.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office recently charged Patrolman Ionnis Mpletsakis, 26, with assault by auto and hindering apprehension for leaving the scene of the July 20 crash, First Assistant Prosecutor William Lamb said.

“Mpletsakis also faces a motor vehicle summons and disciplinary charges that could result in his suspension or dismissal,” Lamb said.

A court hearing on the matter has been scheduled for Sept. 20, he said.

Three other Edison police officers face interdepartmental charges for attempting to conceal an accident involving an off-duty police officer, Lamb said.

Authorities will not release the names of the three officers involved in the alleged coverup because they are facing disciplinary, rather than criminal charges, he said.

“Demotion, reprimand, and/or forfeiture of vacation/personal days are potential sanctions for the other officers,” Lamb said.

The disciplinary charges against the three officers include failure to conduct a proper, thorough and complete investigation; neglect of duty; unprofessional conduct; failure to assume proper command of an investigation; failure to take proper action; failure to make a proper report and failure to report misconduct of another officer, according to Lamb.

Mpletsakis is also charged with a motor vehicle infraction of leaving the scene of an accident, Lamb said.

“These are evidential findings of an investigation conducted by the special investigations unit of the Edison Police Department,” he said.

“We undertook a thorough investigation of the evidence presented, and signed charges against those whom there was probable cause, who committed a criminal offense, and some form of violation of the rules of the Edison Police Department,” Lamb said.

Edison Mayor George Spadoro said he would not tolerate any improper action by an officer.

“Although it is premature to discuss an appropriate punishment for the actions alleged, the charges are serious enough that a finding of guilt may result in dismissal,” Spadoro said.

Mpletsakis told police officers he had gone with his friends on a boat and had consumed “three or four beers,” on the day of the accident, Lamb said.

He returned to the Edison boat basin at approximately 8:30 or 9 p.m., then drove to a friend’s house in Edison and swam in a pool for about 45 minutes, he said.

Mpletsakis told police he left his friend’s house around 10 p.m. to drive home.

“Mpletsakis did not want to get into his newly acquired vehicle, a 2002 BMW, with wet shorts, so he took them off and drove nude,” Lamb said.

Mpletsakis was traveling south on Route 27 near Vineyard Road when his 2002 BMW, which is registered to his father, Nikolas Mpletsakis, slammed into the rear of a 1998 International truck. The driver was Marvin Chevez-Hernandez, of Elizabeth.

Lemus Portillo, 32, a passenger in the truck, suffered a knee injury and was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Mpletsakis’ BMW was demolished, Lamb said.

Edison police responded to the accident. A naked Mpletsakis was discovered a short distance away by an Edison police lieutenant, he said.

“The lieutenant took Mpletsakis to his residence to obtain clothing and then returned him to the scene of the accident,” Lamb said.

The accident report completed by a responding officer included Mpletsakis’ claim that his car was struck by another vehicle passing him at a high speed and that the impact drove the BMW into the back of the truck.

“Mpletsakis was not transported to Edison Police Department headquarters for administration of a Breathalyzer or other DWI-related tests,” Lamb said.

The disorderly persons complaints will be transferred from Edison municipal court to another municipal court, he said.

The disciplinary charges against Mpletsakis and the other Edison officers will be handled internally by the Edison police, Lamb said.