Crime & Public Safety.
A woman who fell asleep while driving in the ShopRite parking lot in Egg Harbor Township was stopped before she headed onto the heavily traveled Black Horse Pike, police said in a news release.
On Friday, at 11:47 a.m., police responded to the grocery store parking lot for a welfare check of a woman who appeared to be disoriented and unconscious behind the wheel of a 2010 Ford Expedition.
Police discovered the vehicle was driven by Anna Dow, who attempted to travel north on English Creek Avenue, south of the intersection with the Black Horse Pike.
People flagged down Egg Harbor Township Police Officer Dominik Newman. He positioned his police car behind Dow’s SUV. But her vehicle kept rolling forward toward the intersection of the Black Horse Pike, despite the officer activating his sirens and lights, police said.
A short while later Newman stopped Dow’s vehicle by using his police car to block the SUV. Dow was put through standardized field sobriety testing. Dow made multiple statements of not having slept for days, police said.
As a result of the investigation, Dow was arrested following a search of her vehicle. A police K-9 found drug paraphernalia and suspected heroin in the SUV, according to the release.
Dow was released on a summons, police said.
Prior to the officer stopping Dow’s SUV, the vehicle continued to head toward the intersection of the Black Horse Pike, where traffic was going 50 mph and above, police said.
Dow’s vehicle began to enter the intersection with the Black Horse Pike against the red traffic signal. Concerned with the safety of other motorists and Dow herself, Newman positioned his patrol vehicle in front of the SUV to bring it to a stop.
Following the collision with the police car, Newman rendered medical attention to Dow, who appeared to wake up after her driver’s door was opened, police said.
The crash is being investigated by Officer Nathan Lahr of the Traffic Safety Unit. Any questions regarding the crash should be directed to the Egg Harbor Township Police Department at 609-927-5200.
