Waitress Arrested for DUI on Thanksgiving Day | Blue Patrol Bodycam

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, November 25, 2021 (Thanksgiving Day), Princeton Police Officer Lipschutz observed a 2003 Toyota that failed to stop at a stop sign when driving southbound on Chambers Street. As he followed the vehicle, he noticed that the driver seemed to be operating her vehicle erratically. He was eventually able to stop the vehicle on Alexander Street. The driver, later identified as 22-year-old Natalie Bogach, was asked if she knew why she was being stopped. She responded that she was probably being stopped because she kicked the curb.

When the Officer asked Bogach where she was coming from, she told him that she spent some time with her friends at the Alchemist & Barrister bar in Princeton after she finished her shift as a waitress at Mediterra restaurant, and that she had consumed Prosecco and Tequila. The Officer also observed that her speech was slurred, while her eyes were watery and bloodshot.

After Officers Schubert and Micelli arrived to assist, Bogach was afforded an opportunity to complete standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs). Officer Schubert administered the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, and Officer Lipschutz noticed that Bogach seemed unable to maintain her balance during that test. After the HGN test, Officer Lipschutz explained the instructions for the Walk and Turn test. Bogach was unable to maintain her balance and responded by asking how she could be expected to perform the test at that particular moment if she could not even do these exercises while sober. When the Officer asked for more clarification, Bogach seemed to contradict herself and claimed that she was sober enough to drive home. The final test involved the One Leg Stand test, and Bogach was unable to perform that successfully.

After failing to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Bogach was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. Officer Sweetman patted her down to check for weapons and contraband before she was placed in the police car to be transported to Princeton Police HQ. In compliance with John’s Law, the vehicle was towed. After she was transported to Police HQ, Bogach agreed to take a breathalyzer test after the standard 20-minute observation period. The test results indicated a BAC of 0.22%, nearly triple the legal limit.

After her picture was taken and the paperwork was completed, Bogach was released to someone she knew after he signed the Potential Liability Warning form on her behalf. She was issued the following citations along with a court date: Driving While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving, Careless Driving, Failure to Maintain Lane, and Failure to Stop and Yield.