Hartford Firefighter Arrested After Crashing Into Car While Driving Drunk

Court records show that 41-year-old Hartford firefighter Jeffrey Vendetta, who was accused of DUI, crashing into a car in Farmington and escaping the accident spot, is on administrative leave and this is not the first time he’s been taken into custody for a similar incident.

On Thursday night, Jeffrey Vendetta was taken into custody by Farmington Police who said that his BAC level was three times the legal limit of driving. He crashed into a car on Farmington Avenue, near Interstate 84 on-ramp around 9:37 p.m. on Thursday.

When police approached the accident spot, officers found a motor vehicle that had been struck from the back and sustained heavy damage. The driver was complaining of neck pain but did not require medical attention.

According to a witness, the driver involved in the accident escaped the accident spot and directed investigators to Brickyard Road almost 4 miles away, where they found a motor vehicle with fresh damage to the front end.

Vendetta was identified as the driver. He was arrested and a sample was taken for breath tests. The first test showed his BAC level at .2368 and the second showed his BAC level at .2362, according to the police.

Vendetta was charged with DUI, evading responsibility, restricted turns and following too close.

Vendetta has been working with Ladder Company 6 at the South Green Station for almost 20 years as told by the Fire Officials. After the accident, he was immediately placed on administrative leave with pay pending the result of the case.

Vendetta was released on bond and was summoned to Hartford Superior Court on 19th of November.

The accident happened eight years ago when Vendetta struck a parked motor vehicle on Park Road in West Hartford in November 2006, according to the court records. When officers approached the accident spot, they found Vendetta unconscious in a van and he smelled of alcohol, according to the records.

When police asked if he had been drinking, he accepted that he had but refused to give a sample for testing.

According to the sources, Vendetta was also taken into custody in West Hartford in 2001 and charged for driving under the influence of alcohol.

In the incident that happened in 2006, Vendetta was charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failure to drive right and evading responsibility. It was his first offense as shown by the court records. For that he was ordered by the judge to complete 100 hours of community service and was placed on probation for 10 months.

News Source: www.NbcConnecticut.com