A 50-year-old Jersey City police lieutenant was arrested by New Jersey State Police early Friday morning and charged with drunken driving after leading police on a chase, according to a state police spokesman.
Michael Dillon, of Neptune, was pulled over on Interstate 195 in Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County. Dillon was charged with moving violations, DUI and released, the spokesman told The Jersey Journal.
A law enforcement source told The Jersey Journal Dillon had been at a police holiday party Thursday night.
The city’s spokeswoman said Dillon has been suspended without pay.
The city recently changed policy to limit suspensions without pay to 30 days in most cases. This came after two police officers who had been suspended without pay pending a criminal trial were cleared by a judge, putting the city on the hook for more than two years of back pay.
Dillon has been on the force since 1994. A message left on his phone seeking comment was not returned.
A shot from a holiday party in Bayonne on Dec. 13, 2018 for members of Jersey City's police force. Michael Dillon, the man wearing black standing to the right of the woman in the red shirt, was arrested early the next morning in Monmouth County.
Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.