Skip to main content

DUI Suspect's Friends Try to Pick Her Up, but Get Arrested for DUI

By Aditi Mukherji, JD on December 26, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

The arrest of a New Jersey woman for a DUI led to the arrest of two friends who went to pick her up at the police station. What were they busted for? Why, DUI as well, of course.

It's just like that classic chain-letter friendship quote: "Friends bail you out of jail, best friends are sitting right next to you."

Yay, BFFs...

Slurring Speed Dial

Carmen Reategui, 34, started the prison pow-wow on December 16. Police told the Hunterdon County Democrat that Reategui was arrested after she swerved while driving and failed field sobriety tests.

Reategui then called Nina Petracca to pick her up. But police cuffed the 23-year-old Petracca, because she showed up visibly intoxicated. Officers claim that they found seven Vicodin pills in an unlabeled container in Petracca's purse, so she was slapped with an additional charge of possession of a controlled substance along with the DUI.

Unfortunately, third time's not the charm. The friends then called Ryan Hogan to spring them -- but he too showed up sloshed and failed sobriety tests, police say.

All three were eventually released to a fourth, uncharacteristically sober, adult. Here's hoping he had enough seats in his car to cart around the tipsy trio.

Maybe the friends were just "2 Drunk 2 Care"?

Phone Calls After Booking

Booking includes your arrest being written into official police records, being fingerprinted and photographed. After being booked, you get to make local phone calls, generally up to three. So Reategui should count her lucky sober stars that her third and final "phone a friend" contact wasn't tanked.

Each (allegedly) plastered pal is scheduled to appear in court in January on charges of driving while intoxicated. Pill-plastered Petracca also faces charges of possession of Vicodin and operating a vehicle while in possession of a controlled substance.

From bucket list shoplifters to stoned ghost-hunting arsonists, some friends could really use better group-bonding activities.

Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer).

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard