It just never really ends well when one drives around at a fast rate of speed and without headlights — especially on the hills of Second Ward of Kearny.
On Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025, Officers Travis Witt and Khonsura Allen (currently in field training) were patrolling around 11 p.m. when they reportedly observed a Hyundai Kona driving at a high rate of speed on Devon Terrace. The vehicle had no headlights on despite it being dark outside.
An MV stop was conducted.
When interacting the the driver, Francisco A. Baiz, 48, of Kearny, officers say they observed signs of impairment, including bloodshot, watery eyes and a strong odor of alcohol. Further, an open can of Coors Light was next to him.
After Officer Witt administered sobriety tests, on which the suspected drunk performed poorly, Baiz was arrested and his vehicle impounded. During a search incident to arrest, two bags of suspected ketamine were located in Baiz’s pocket.
Officers had to bring Baiz to the North Arlington Police Department in order to use their Alco-test machine, which provided Baiz some additional time to sober up; however, he still blew over the legal limit. After returning to the Kearny Police Department, Baiz was charged with: CDS/possession of ketamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, operation of motor vehicle while in possession, possession of an open container, operating under influence, careless driving and vehicle headlamps required.
With noone available to take custody of Baiz, he was subjected to a 12-hour hold, per John’s Law, at KPD quarters and was to be released at roughly 11 a.m. on Feb. 27.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.