2 Arrested in Separate Drunken-Driving Crashes, Police Say

Two alleged drunken drivers caused accidents on back-to-back days, though no one was seriously hurt in either incident, Manchester Township Police said.

Allen Schwerdt, 55, of Whiting, was the first to be charged with driving while intoxicated in a three-car crash Tuesday night at Route 530 and Manchester Boulevard.

Police said he slammed his Toyota Corolla into a Hyundai Elantra being driven by a 22-year-old woman from Forked River, pushing that car into a Toyota Tacoma pickup being driven by a 22-year-old man from Whiting.

Neither of the other drivers were injured, police said, and Schwerdt was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and careless driving, and his car was impounded before he was released to family members pending a court appearance.

Just a few hours later, around 2:21 a.m. Wednesday, another Whiting resident was arrested after crashing his van in a single-car accident near Route 530 and Lake Road, police said.

Thomas Kirchner, 60, smacked into a street sign and a guardrail, going off the road and into the woods, police said, and ended up trapped in his Ford Windstar.

Rescue workers got him out via the van's hatch, police said, and Kirchner was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment of what appeared to be minor injuries.

Officers who responded to the scene said Kirchner smelled of alcohol, and obtained a warrant to get a blood sample at the hospital, which resulted Kirchner being charged with driving while intoxicated, and his van was also impounded.