New Jersey Criminal Lawyers Blog

Hazlet is a township of about 21,000 residents in Monmouth County directly bordered by Union Beach, Keyport, Aberdeen, and Holmdel. It is directly accessible by Route 35, Route 36, the Garden State Parkway, and New Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast line train. Because of its location, 37 miles south of New York City, 56 miles northeast of Philadelphia, and extremely close to the highly frequented beaches of the New Jersey shore, Hazlet is a busy township year round. As summer approaches, however, the hustle and bustle escalates to an increasingly higher level and the roads, restaurants, bars, and shops of Hazlet each face new challenges in dealing with these growing crowds. For local law enforcement, this population spike brings with it the possibility of trouble and, seeking to preserve the quiet and peaceful nature of the town, is normally combated through an increase in the amount of disorderly persons charges, motor vehicle moving violations, and DWI charges.

Disorderly persons offenses refers to a broad category of offenses, with some of the more frequently charged being disorderly conduct (N.J.S. 2C:33-2), trespass (N.J.S. 2C: 18-3), criminal mischief (N.J.S. 2C: 17-3), simple assault (N.J.S. 2C: 12-1), use or possession of a fake ID (N.J.S. 2C: 28-7), underage drinking (N.J.S. 2C:33-15), possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia (N.J.S. 2C:35-10 and N.J.S. 2C: 36-2), and resisting arrest (N.J.S. 2C:29-2). Penalties for being convicted of such an offense include jail time, significant monetary fines, and community service. Last year there were 223 disorderly persons offenses in Hazlet.

Motor vehicle moving violations are very common in Hazlet and include traffic infractions such as speeding, failure to maintain lanes, failure to stop as well as much more serious alcohol related New Jersey drunk driving violations such as DWI, DUI, and Refusal. For a first time offender convicted of one of these drunk driving offenses, penalties may include monetary fines up to $500.00, loss of license for up to a year, jail time, enrollment into an Intoxicated Driver Resource Center program, and the installation of an ignition interlock device system into their car. If the offense takes place within a school zone, regardless of the time of day, the penalties will be doubled. Last year there were 958 motor vehicle moving violations in Hazlet and 82 DWIs in Hazlet.