Elf found passed out in car faces drunk driving charges

A man dressed as one of Santa's little helpers found himself in trouble early on Friday morning when police in Riverdale, New Jersey, allegedly discovered him drunkenly passed out in a car.

At around 3:30am, Sgt. Pat Harden was dispatched to the parking lot a Target store after receiving a report of a suspicious vehicle, Lt. James Macintosh said. Harden located the car, a Toyota van, parked by the store's loading dock with its engine running, lights on and music blaring, the lieutenant said.



The driver, Brian Chellis, 23, of Cedar Grove, was asleep behind the wheel, wearing an elf costume, Macintosh said. After shutting off the car's engine and waking Chellis, the sergeant detected a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, the lieutenant said. Harden further observed that Chellis seemed confused over his whereabouts and had an open can of beer inside of the car.

Following a series of field sobriety tests, Chellis was transported to police headquarters for a breath test, the lieutenant said. Police issued him summonses for driving while intoxicated, careless driving and possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Chellis was released to a family member pending a Jan. 6 municipal court appearance, Mactintosh said.