Hasbrouck Heights Changes Rules After Cop Injured at Sonic

Well, more details have emerged about the incident at the newly opened Sonic in Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey where a cop was seriously injured after being dragged into oncoming traffic by an unruly driver.

Daniel Yi took off just as Officer Corey Lange reached inside the vehicle for his driver's license, said Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli. A sedan collided with Yi's SUV moments later, pinning Lange between the two vehicles.

Lange broke his leg and ankle in the ordeal Tuesday night. Yi, of Hackensack, remained in the Bergen County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail Wednesday night.

The incident has prompted a crackdown on drivers who queue along Route 17 for a spot at the popular burger joint. Police will now fine drivers $100 for stopping on the three-lane highway.

"If you stay in the queue lane, you will be ticketed," Molinelli said Wednesday. "People are waiting along Route 17, which is not good."

Borough officials have also begun looking at better ways to deal with the congestion, which has been handled by off-duty officers hired by Sonic since its long-awaited opening last month.

In a statement, Sonic officials said the company and its franchisee will continue to work closely with municipal authorities to control traffic around the drive-in. They also said that traffic volume typically levels off once a drive-in "becomes a more established part of community life."

The uniformed officers hired by Sonic tell drivers that they cannot wait on the highway. Most drivers listen and return moments later for a chance at securing an open parking space, Molinelli said.

Unfortunately, ticketing drivers who attempt to queue up on the mainline of Route 17 isn't going to prevent these kinds of incidents. It's going to require more than that.

The best that Sonic and Hasbrouck Heights can hope for is that the novelty of the chain wears off and traffic doesn't back up onto the highway as it has regularly since the chain opened locations in Hasbrouck Heights and Totowa.

As for the driver who was involved in the injury to the police officer, it turns out he was unlicensed and attempted to access the Sonic queue to park despite the officer telling Yi to drive away. He deserves what's coming to him.

The new rules do nothing to prevent this kind of incident since the cops will have to risk their lives in traffic to keep people from backing up onto Route 17. Perhaps the police will have to station police cars to block traffic rather than put officers on foot from doing that work.

A Sonic Injury

I've now been to both the Sonic in Totowa and the one in Hasbrouck Heights New Jersey. The first thing that greets you is the incredible line of cars waiting to get into the lots. It's worse at Hasbrouck Heights because of the layout and construction along Route 17, but traffic can and does get backed up onto the mainline highways.

I can't entirely say what the fascination is with the fast food served, although the limeades are quite tasty. The rest of the food is typical fast food fare.

Police have been at both locations since the chain opened locations in New Jersey to manage traffic, and routinely direct cars away since the parking lots can't handle the traffic. These police are putting themselves in danger, and last night a police officer in Hasbrouck Heights was injured after being struck by a car while directing traffic.

The officer, whose name was not immediately released, was in serious condition at Hackensack University Medical Center, police said. They still were interviewing witnesses late tonight, and released few details.

Several teenagers in their cars at the drive-in heard the crash and ran to the scene, on Route 17 north. They saw a Honda Civic with its front end smashed, facing north, and up against an Acura SUV facing south, both vehicle pinned against the center median in the northbound lane.

They said they saw the officer pinned between the two cars. “The officer wasn’t moving … his eyes were closed,” said Ryan Conlon, 17, of Allendale.

“We heard, like, a screech, and then a loud thud … it sounded like somebody hit something heavy,” said Conlon, who was at the drive-in with two friends, Brandon Neuburger, 18, of Allendale, and Nicole Piazza, 18, of Ho-Ho-Kus.

Police called for help from other departments along Route 17 to help clear the way while en route to the hospital with the injured officer.

I don't think Sonic had any idea of the traffic their chain would generate, or the road rage generated by cars waiting for more than an hour to get into a fast food chain.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the injured officer.