Overview
- The Dunellen Borough Police ran a six-hour distracted-driving detail on Wednesday on the 100 block of North Washington Avenue that produced 74 citations for drivers using handheld devices.
- An undercover officer in a ghillie-style “shrub” suit used binoculars to spot phone-using motorists and radioed uniformed officers down the street who then pulled drivers over.
- Police posted photos of the disguise as a social-media attention-getter and said the officer did not wear the suit for the entire operation while another plainclothes officer wore a “Not a Cop” T-shirt.
- New Jersey law bans use of handheld wireless phones while driving and carries fines that start around $200 for a first offense and rise for repeat violations according to the Motor Vehicle Commission.
- Officials said the one-square-mile borough has a relatively high accident rate and that the stunt aimed to deter risky behavior near heavy pedestrian traffic, drawing wide public and viral media attention with no reported legal challenges so far.