Police put end to local party

Seven area youths charged with underage drinking

By: Jessica Beym
   Police charged a 49-year-old township man with serving alcohol to minors, and his two sons and five area youths with underage drinking after police broke up a residential party last week.
   Police Chief Jay Hansen said the department was investigating three weeks worth of complaints about teenagers holding parties at a Danser Drive residence where police suspected underage drinking and use of narcotics were occurring.
   When police arrived at the house at around 1 a.m. March 31, Chief Hansen said, officers noticed a number of teenagers drinking alcoholic beverages outside of the house, including 20-year-old Nicholas J. Rienzi, the son of the house’s owner.
   Chief Hansen said Patrol Officer Paul Lindenfeld, the police drug recognition expert, was called to the scene and found a partially burnt marijuana cigarette where Mr. Rienzi was standing. After examining Mr. Rienzi, Officer Lindenfeld determined that he was under the influence of marijuana, Chief Hansen said. He was charged with being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and underage consumption of alcohol.
   The owner of the house, 49-year-old Nicholas P. Rienzi, was not home when police arrived, but Chief Hansen said he was contacted and charged with maintaining a nuisance and offering alcoholic beverages to underage persons when he returned home.
   Mr. Rienzi’s other son, 19-year-old Michael Rienzi, was also present and was charged with the underage consumption of alcohol on a private property. Both of Mr. Rienzi’s sons have permanent addresses in Dayton, Chief Hansen said.
   Chief Hansen said six other youths were also charged with underage drinking, including Kelly Andrews, 18, of Kutztown, Pa.; Joseph Sim, 20, of Dayton; Adam Katz, 20, of East Windsor; Michael Hancharick, 19, of Franklin Park; Tawfeq Ahmed, 19, of Ewing and Ryan Bohar, 19, of Monroe.
   Chief Hansen said two other males — a 17-year-old from Kendall Park and Richard Beradi, 20, of Mercerville — were also charged in separate incidents this week for underage drinking and driving while intoxicated. Chief Hansen said police suspected that both drivers were coming from one of the parties at the Danser Drive residence.
   At about 1:30 a.m. on March 26, a 17-year-old boy was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving, driving on a provisional license after hours, improper turning, and underage possession of alcohol, Chief Hansen said.
   Patrol Officer Todd Galla was driving north on South Main Street at about 1:30 a.m. and observed a car behind him turn right on to Old Trenton Road from the left turning lane, Chief Hansen said.
   Officer Galla pursued the driver, who then turned left onto Bergen Drive from Old Trenton Road, parked and turned off the headlights, Chief Hansen said. A few seconds later, Officer Galla saw the car pull back onto Old Trenton Road, Chief Hansen said.
   Officer Galla stopped the vehicle on Old Trenton Road near Jefferson Road and upon approaching the car, he detected the odor of alcohol and noticed there were beer cans on the floor of the car, Chief Hansen said.
   Chief Hansen said the juvenile was taken to headquarters where he was given an Alchotest that showed he had a blood alcohol content level of .13. He was processed and released to the custody of his parents, Chief Hansen said.
   Mr. Beradi was charged at about 1 a.m. March 31 — the night the party was broken up — after Officer Galla saw him driving north on South Main Street and suspected he was coming from the Danser Drive residence, Chief Hansen said.
   Officer Galla followed Mr. Beradi, who turned west on Old Trenton Road, then right onto Parkview Road and circled the development twice before pulling into a driveway, Chief Hansen said. Officer Galla ran a mobile data terminal search and found that Mr. Beradi did not live on Parkview Drive, Chief Hansen said.
   Officer Galla approached Mr. Beradi and detected the odor of alcohol, Chief Hansen said. Officer Galla asked Mr. Beradi to perform a field sobriety test, which he failed, Chief Hansen said. An Alchotest revealed that Mr. Beradi had a blood alcohol content level of .05.
   The legal blood alcohol limit is .08, but because Mr. Beradi is under the legal drinking age of 21, he was charged with driving while intoxicated, as well as careless driving, reckless driving and driving 30 mph in a 50-mph zone before he was processed and released to a friend, Chief Hansen said.