By Mary Brienza, The Packet Group
An alleged drunk driver from East Brunswick sent a 58-year old Monroe woman to the hospital after a collision on Route 535 on Saturday afternoon.
The accident occurred at 4:30 p.m. while the unidentified woman was trying to visit a cemetery, according to police.
The woman was heading south on Route 535 and was waiting to turn left into the Holy Cross Cemetery when East Brunswick resident David Diaz, 21, who was also driving south with township resident Stephanie Campbell, 20, in a 2007 Nissan Sentra, tried to pass the victim on the left, police said.
The Nissan struck the victim’s sedan on the driver’s side and then left the road and went 75 feet onto the cemetery’s grass, police said.
Witnesses told police they saw Mr. Diaz and Ms. Campbell leave their vehicle and go over to the other driver, Sgt. James Ryan said.
”We believe they did this to check on her,” Sgt. Ryan said.
The victim was taken by ambulance to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick with nonlife threatening injuries following the crash and has since been released, police said.
Sgt. Ryan said witnesses also heard Ms. Campbell tell Mr. Diaz to “run” because of his inebriated condition.
The couple fled into a warehouse complex where township and East Brunswick officers started searching for them, police said.
They were located and arrested on the Wakefern property on Davidson Mill Road about 45 minutes later, Sgt. Ryan said.
Sgt. Ryan said they were located after company security spotted them on the property and called police.
Sgt. Ryan said Mr. Diaz was charged with assault by auto, drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, reckless driving and improper passing.
He was processed and released after posting $1,000 bail, Sgt. Ryan said.
Ms. Campbell was charged with obstruction of justice and was released on a summons, Sgt. Ryan said.
Patrolman Robert Jairdullo is handling the investigation into the accident, according to Sgt. Ryan.

