Woman charged with DWI tried to hide drugs in patrol car, cops say

HACKETTSTOWN — A woman who police say struck several structures while driving under the influence started her trip by injecting heroin into her hand in a Dairy Queen parking lot.

Police said Alexa Montanaro, 25, of Great Meadows was arrested on June 27 when her car was identified as matching the description of one that had been involved in an earlier crash and fled the scene. She reportedly hit a culvert and a mailbox before police say she threw heroin and used syringes out of her car.

After being taken into custody police say Montanaro continued to attempt to hide the  evidence. That, they say, included hiding 17 full folds of heroin and 20 empty folds of heroin and a syringe in the backseat of the patrol car. According to police she also had a syringe in her bra and also had what they believed to be marijuana in her possession.

Montanaro was charged with possession of heroin, possession of under 50 grams of marijuana, being under the influence of heroin, hindering, possession of a hypodermic syringe, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She is also facing charges of driving while under the influence, driving under the influence in a school zone, reckless driving, having a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle, failure to maintain lane, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, and having no insurance.

After her arrest she was taken to the Warren County Correctional Facility.