A 67-year-old Florida man was intoxicated when his SUV crossed the double yellow line on a Mahwah road and hit a motorcyclist over the weekend, authorities said.
Terence J. Cotter of Delray Beach was headed south on East Crescent Lane when his 2022 Volkswagen Taos crossed into the northbound lane and collided with the motorcycle shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 2, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
The rider, a 58-year-old Mahwah resident, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Hackensack University Medical Center after being struck between Apple Ridge Boulevard and Roxbury Road.
Cotter, meanwhile, was taken into custody.
He was charged with assault by auto, DWI and various motor vehicle offenses following an investigation by detectives from the prosecutor’s Fatal Accident Investigation Unit and the Mahwah Police Department, Musella said.
They were assisted by members of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification, who collected evidence at the scene.
Cotter remained held Monday in the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
