The Allamuchy Township man didn't tell troopers a passenger was hurt, state police say.
A Warren County motorist, allegedly drunk when he crashed a Jeep late last month, is accused of lying to police about an injured passenger and later trying to escape custody.
George G. Allen, 25, of the first block of Duck Hawk Court in Allamuchy Township, is charged with assault by auto for the early morning wreck Feb. 28.
He allegedly crashed a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee at 2:29 a.m. near the intersection of Hope Road and Edge Hill Road in Blairstown Township, said New Jersey State Police spokesman Sgt. Jeffrey Flynn.
Allen was the only one at the scene when troopers arrived, Flynn said. The driver allegedly did not say that a passenger had been injured in the crash, though troopers later found the person. The man's facial injuries were not life-threatening, Flynn said.
Further details of the crash were not immediately available.
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Allen was taken to the state police barracks in Netcong and refused a breath test, Flynn said. While in a cell, he slipped a hand out of his handcuffs as troopers watched via a camera, according to a criminal complaint filed in state Superior Court in Belvidere.
In addition to the assault-by-auto charge, Allen faces allegations of drunken driving, obstruction, attempted escape and refusal to submit to a breath test.
Allen was not in the Warren County jail as of Wednesday. A call for comment left at his listed address was not returned.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.