New Haven Independent

Watchdog On Wheels Nabs Drunk Driver

by Melissa Bailey | November 12, 2009 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)

When a city politician’s headlights flashed in his face coming the wrong way up Elm Street, Alex Marathas motioned for the driver to turn. The chase was on.

Marathas (pictured) didn’t know he was chasing a politician. He did know the driver posed a public danger.

It wasn’t Marathas’s first chase. Don’t count on it being his last.

After 15 minutes of pursuit, and a few daring moves in his 1996 Ford Explorer, Marathas pulled over the drunken driver and turned him over to the cops.

The driver was Joey Rodriguez, the 22-year-old alderman in Fair Haven’s Ward 15. Rodriguez issued a public apology for the incident Tuesday — click here to read about it.

Reached Wednesday, Rodriguez said he’s thankful for the citizen watchdog’s effort.

“I am grateful that no one was hurt and that the police and Mr. Marathas stopped me,” he said. He declined to comment further, except to say “It was a foolish and irresponsible judgment on my part.”

Police spokesman Officer Joe Avery applauded Marathas’ work.

“The guy definitely did a great thing,” Avery said. However, he cautioned others against putting themselves at risk, especially with a guy who wasn’t as nice as Rodriguez.

A Mission

Marathas, a 45-year-old real estate developer, is a one-time candidate for alderman himself: He ran in 2001 for alderman as a Democrat in East Rock’s Ward 9, losing to Green John Halle. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination again in 2006.

He has had more success as a citizen watchdog for the police — a watchdog who sometimes takes matters into his own hands before they arrive.

Marathas often calls the cops about hazards in the road. He said he’s called police 30 to 40 times. He has reported dangers ranging from trash in the highway to a guy who was tailgating him, pushing his speed up to 95 miles per hour on Interstate 91.

“I’m pretty good with 911,” said Marathas.

Sunday was the second time he helped stop a drunk driver before anyone got hurt. Here’s what happened, according to Marathas:

Marathas was going home from his buddy Pete’s house at 11:30 p.m. As he headed down Elm Street at the intersection with Temple, he found headlights shining in his face. The driver of a small silver car was approaching him, going the wrong way up Elm Street.

Marathas’s first thought: The driver must be from out of town, unfamiliar with downtown streets.

Marathas put his turn signal on to direct the driver onto Temple Street. When the car “swerved” onto Temple, Marathas grew concerned. The driver appeared to be drunk.

Marathas got on his tail. He wasn’t going to let this guy go.

“When I was 19, I almost got killed by a drunk driver,” Marathas explained, recounting the story Wednesday morning. “It just bothers me.”

He followed the car onto Chapel, College, then up Prospect Street. The drunk driver came across an obstacle: the bridge is out at Trumbull Street, blocking through traffic.

“He looked bewildered because it’s a dead end,” said Marathas. Marathas made that conclusion based on the movement of the car; he couldn’t see who was driving until the driver turned into a Yale parking lot. Marathas followed him in there. The driver tried to maneuver out of the lot.

“He was all whacked,” said Marathas. The driver smashed into a Dumpster, crushing part of his car.

Marathas said he wasn’t afraid to be shut in with a parking lot with the man he’d been pursuing.

“I have an Explorer,” Marathas explained. “It’s pretty big, and I’m pretty big, so I didn’t worry about it.”

Flashback

Following a dangerous driver is somewhat of an instinct for him.

That instinct first showed itself 26 years ago, in Wisconsin. Marathas was 19. He was driving home from a July 4th party near DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, around 11 p.m. He and three buddies were driving on Route 47 when an oncoming car swerved into his lane, nearly killing them.

“We chased him,” Marathas said. His buddies yelled remarks out the window like “Pull over, we’ll give you a ride!” The driver careened down a residential street, cutting across someone’s lawn and knocking down a mailbox before coming to a rest.

Cops found that Midwestern driver to be in a big mess. “The guy was so whacked he couldn’t even say his name,” Marathas recalled.

Back in the Yale parking lot Sunday night, Marathas caught a glimpse of the driver in his latest pursuit. He didn’t recognize the driver, but he got a good enough look to see that he appeared to be small.

“I could see he wasn’t too intimidating,” Marathas said.

Marathas cut in front of him. The driver followed him on Prospect to Grove Street. Marathas took a right-hand turn towards the Yale gym.

“When he gunned it to pass me on Grove, I knew he was messed up,” Marathas said. The driver nearly sideswiped a car. His hubcap scraped a curb.

The whole time, Marathas was on the phone with the cops. The cops were having trouble determining his location. Marathas followed the driver onto Ashmun Street, until the street’s end.

“That’s when I gunned my vehicle,” he said. He cut off the driver with his SUV, then got out and approached the car, which had stopped.

Marathas said he opened the door to the car.

“Turn the car off and get out of the car,” he ordered the driver.

He didn’t know the driver is an alderman. Rodriguez didn’t say so, either. He just sat there and waited for the cops to show up, Marathas said. He looked disheveled and had blood on his face.

“You didn’t hit him, did you?” the cops asked Marathas when they showed up, according to Marathas.

When cops asked Rodriguez for his driver’s license, he gave them a music CD, Marathas said. Rodriguez was charged with driving without a license and driving under the influence, according to police. The alderman does not have a driver’s license, police said.

“I felt bad for the guy,” said Marathas. “He was pretty humble.”

Marathas was relieved to bring the driver safely to a stop.

“The bottom line is you don’t want to have someone you know, you care for or don’t care for getting killed by a DWI,” Marathas said. He said the driver was lucky he didn’t go onto a busier street such as Whalley Avenue, where he might have done some damage.

Advice For Others

The police aren’t calling for citizens to follow Marathas’s example completely.

What should people do if they see a drunk driver?

First, call the cops, said Officer Avery. Then, “if you can follow them, follow them at a safe distance. But be safe. Don’t get reckless about it.”

“Following the guy is one thing, but putting the car in front of him to stop him is another,” Avery said. “I don’t think I would recommend it to people.”

Click on the play arrow to watch Alderman Rodriguez read his apology at a press conference Monday night and promise to influence young people not to drive drunk.

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Comments

Posted by: tonni | November 12, 2009 8:55 AM

Marathas...good job..glad no one was hurt....you could have been hurt you didn't know if this guy had a gun or not.....thankful he was mild manner alderman joe from fair haven...god be with you ..

Posted by: Bruce | November 12, 2009 9:10 AM

Nice work Alex!!

Posted by: Shocking | November 12, 2009 9:54 AM

When I read this yesterday, I was really troubled -- not just by the Alderman's recklessness but because of the inexplicable actions of City Hall and the Aldermen, who quickly went to his defense and passed off the incident as just a "mistake" by a "nice guy". (SafeStreets, anyone?)

After reading this, I am very appalled and completely disgusted. This Alderman didn't just pull over when Mr. Marathas signaled that he was driving in the wrong direction. He acted like O.J. Simpson and tried to outdrive Mr. Marathas.

Mr. Rodriguez needs to resign. Immediately. This public official has no business representing anyone. He should have the book thrown at him.

City Hall, can you please write a press release about Mr. Marathas? Maybe you can even plan a press conference where school kids can be invited to listen to a true hero who risked his life to avoid a horrible tragedy.

Posted by: good to hear | November 12, 2009 10:21 AM

Great work - and thanks. I'm glad to hear that the cops finally showed up. I had a similar incident a few years ago on a Sunday afternoon on 95 when a speeding car nearly hit mine. After determining that it wasn't just a momentary incident and that the driver was clearly impaired, I decided to call 911 and then follow him off the exit into New Haven. My first call was redirected, then redirected back - New Haven vs State police. I gave clear directions as to where the guy was going, gave a description of the driver, the car and an (out of state) tag number...everything... and spent 10 minutes doing this waiting for a response. No one ever showed up. I have to say I was disappointed. I'm not one to confront anyone so I eventually had to leave. It's really scary to see something like this and wonder how far they are going to get before either being stopped or killing someone. Thank you Alex!

Posted by: JackNH | November 12, 2009 10:50 AM

Marathas for mayor.

Posted by: goatviller | November 12, 2009 11:24 AM

alex doesn't just protect our streets, he also helps keep our parks clean.
i'm with JACKNH, marathas for mayor! glad to be sharing the same ward with him.

Posted by: M | November 12, 2009 11:43 AM

Thank you, Marathas - you rock. But we need more cops,stings and DUI checkpoints out there, so that citizens don't have to put themselves in danger. Obviously, he knew what he had to do and take matters into his own hands - see the comment above mine about someone else trying to be responsible, but w/o any police response in person.

Posted by: abg | November 12, 2009 12:32 PM

"when they asked for his license, he handed them a music CD"... sweet jesus, what was his blood alcohol level?

Posted by: Jay | November 12, 2009 12:57 PM

Ok so you counter drunk driving by driving erratically yourself? What if Marathas had injured someone with his dangerous chase? Would you still be praising a vigilante?

Posted by: Electedofficial | November 12, 2009 2:46 PM

Alex should be acknowledged for his community work as well by the same elected people who stood by the side of the Alderman as well as the rest of the board of alderman.There seems to be a real lesson to be learned in all of this.

Posted by: Pat | November 12, 2009 2:59 PM

This alderman should resign immediately. I, for one, will not be naive enough to believe that this was the first time he has ever driven a car impaired. All kinds of studies show that people who get caught doing this have done it dozens of times before, on average. He's probably never driven a car legally seeing that he has no license.

Bravo to Mr. Marathas but seriously let's leave the cape at home and let the police do their jobs. He could've caused someone to get hurt as well.

Posted by: Brian V | November 12, 2009 3:13 PM

Nice Job Alex.
How about that Mayor rumor?
Marathas for Mayor
Has a nice ring to it.

Posted by: Claudia Herrera | November 12, 2009 4:26 PM

Thank you, Marathas. Obviously you really understand that driving drunk
�Is not a small mistake�

"When they asked for his license, he handed them a music CD".

�After 15 minutes of pursuit, and a few daring moves in his 1996 Ford Explorer, Marathas pulled over the drunken driver and turned him over to the cops. �
Did the BOA read this?

I just hope that this alderman really make the right choose �for the city he truly loves� and Step down. NOW!!

Posted by: streever | November 12, 2009 4:53 PM

nice job alex! I'm impressed. As I said, brave, commendable, and a little crazy. A good combination of assets to have in someone in our community.

Posted by: selam | November 12, 2009 6:18 PM

Yay Alex!!! So proud of you :)

Posted by: fairhavendoc | November 12, 2009 6:49 PM

Sure, maybe Mr. Rodriguez used bad judgment when he drove drunk. How come he didn't address the fact that he has been driving without a license? Is that bad judgment? Not really. Sounds more like conscious actions by someone who can't abide by the law. Is no one holding him accountable for this?

Posted by: Lifer | November 12, 2009 8:11 PM

Strong work, Marathas! Joey sounds like he's reading someone else's apology. This is clearly not someone who was just a tad over the legal limit. He needs to step down.

Posted by: Brian V | November 12, 2009 10:30 PM

Elected Official & Shocking:
No praise for Alex from the BOA. No No No.
... King J's court is good at politics,
that's all they know how to do, Spin and Hold on to their power- they are excellent at it, I must admit.
So lets see... Dead beat dad, hit & run artist and now a drunk driver. Everyone makes mistakes right? -seems like it's a right of passage into the administration. Oh and the King himself won't soil his hands on this! He sends his minions!
...
Defending this guy yet not a word of praise for Alex. How about doing something for your constituents, like helping to get drunk drivers off our streets. AAAHHH it never ends!

Posted by: robn | November 13, 2009 8:02 AM

WOW,

If this is all, true, I withdraw any show of mercy toward the Alderman. He should resign and city hall should do some explaining about why they jumped to the defense of pretty indefensible acts.

Posted by: Wolcott Bill | November 13, 2009 12:41 PM

I lost all respect and confidence in Mayor John Destefano for the sickening statement released from City Hall attempting to spin this arrest into a public service message to the young alerting them to the dangers of drunk driving. Twenty-two years ago I was a habitual drunk driver who saw the light, let me tell you this man is as qualified,at present, to motivate youth in the right direction as that other paragon of virtue, John Rowland.

Posted by: Linda | November 13, 2009 4:10 PM

I've been young and dumb!! Everyone has. I know he has learned. Punish him and let him grow.

Posted by: YankOutWest | November 13, 2009 4:19 PM

Nice work, Alex? Okay you got a drunk to stop and get arrested, but just how many traffic laws did you yourself break while doing so? Isn't talking on a cellphone while driving against CT law now?

Posted by: Jillian | November 13, 2009 5:49 PM

Marathas for Mayor... make the t-shirts!

Posted by: Sweaty Palms | November 13, 2009 6:21 PM

After we give Mr. Marathas the keys to the city and man of the year awards maybe he can get in gear and get his partner paul Denz to do something with their property on Chapel Street so its not such an eyesore.

Posted by: strangerthanfiction | November 13, 2009 11:42 PM

In this situation, based on the details here, it seems as if things worked out for the best. But in general, I don't like vigilantism and it kind of creeps me out. Call it in, be watchful and do your part. But following and then gunning your vehicle to cut off an unknown, erratic driver I find pretty bizarre. I say help the police but don't try to be the police. You're not trained for it. Marathas was lucky this time but I hope he and other would-be "Starsky and Hutches" out there don't feel emboldened to act like unsworn officers.

Watchdog On Wheels Nabs Drunk Driver

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