A member of the Red Bank Fire Department’s scuba and dive team inspects the vehicle after it smashed through a fence at the foot of Maple Avenue. (Photo by Carl Colmorgen; click to enlarge)
A Staten Island man was arrested on a drunk-driving charge after he drove his car into the Navesink River in Red Bank early Friday morning.
Steve Barranca, 52, was the lone occupant of the 2008 Lexus when it smashed through a boardwalk fence at the northern end of Maple Avenue and fell about 10 feet into the river, says Captain Darren McConnell.
Borough Patrolman Bob Campanella was the first to respond to the 2:39 call from a resident of nearby Riverview Towers, and went into the water to check the half-submerged car for occupants, McConnell said.
Barranca, though, was found seated on a bench at the nearby Navesink River Rowing clubhouse. He was taken to Riverview Medical Center and released with minor injuries before being booked on charges of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving, McConnell said.
