Her SECOND DWI Arrest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTCryOJCQwQ
Around 11:01 AM on March 2, 2023, Patrolman Joseph Maffia and Patrolwaoman Kayla Finarelli with the Pine Beach Police Department were dispatched to the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving a 2015 Nissan Xterra and 2014 Ford truck at the northeast corner of Springfield Avenue and Motor Road. As they arrived on scene, Patrolman Maffia made contact with the driver of the Nissan, who was later identified as Rafaela Rea, while Patrolwoman Finarelli made contact with the driver of the Ford. While both drivers seemed shaken by the accident, neither driver displayed severe injuries.
After conducting an investigation and checking the camera that was mounted near the intersection, it was determined that Rafaela was driving westbound on Springfield Avenue, and she rolled through a stop sign at the intersection with Motor Road. As a result of her failure to stop at the stop sign, a northbound Ford truck with the right of way on Motor Road was struck on the side. The driver of the Ford narrowly escaped being struck directly as a result of his last-minute maneuver towards the right.
Patrolman Maffia asked Rafaela for her documents, but she was unable to find her license. First responders with the Fire Department arrived within a few minutes, along with Sergeant Ryan Morris. It was determined that the wires on the poles were not electric wires, so officials with the Fire Department began the process of clearing the scene. Sergeant Morris asked Patrolman Maffia to determine who was responsible for the pole, and it was determined that JCP&L should be notified regarding the accident.
As the tow truck was getting ready to remove Rafaela’s vehicle, Sergeant Morris also told Patrolman Maffia that he could conduct the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test on Rafaela. Patrolman Maffia only asked Rafaela to lift up her sunglasses so he could look at her eyes, but decided against administering additional field sobriety exercises. It is not clear if the officers checked Rafaela’s driving record before releasing her at the scene, because she had 2 previous DWI arrests from October 22, 2024 in Toms River and May 16, 2022 in Atlantic Highlands.
After Rafaela declined further medical attention from the Berkeley Township First Aid Squad and the officers were ready to release her from the scene, Patrolwoman Finarelli transported Rafaela to her friend’s residence nearby. Based on the outcome of their investigation, Rafaela was issued the following citations: careless driving and disregard stop sign
Court records indicate that on July 30, 2023, the citation for careless driving was dismissed while the citation for disregarding a stop sign was amended to unsafe operation of a vehicle with a total of $390 in fines.
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Our content is educational and in compliance with YouTube's Fair Use Policy because we edit several long clips into a concise story. This is similar to other law enforcement channels on YouTube. All videos and case documents were obtained pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2001, c. 404). Defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.