N.J. official was 4 times over legal limit when she drove drunk with kids in car, hit a truck

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Ewing Township, NJ - A New Jersey Department of Transportation official was charged with driving under the influence after she crashed into a large white box truck while her children were in a vehicle with her, police records show.

Megan Fackler, 39, of Ewing Township, was also charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child for the October 2024 crash in Ewing Township, according to a criminal complaint obtained by NJ Advance Media.

Fackler is the state DOT’s director of statewide planning, according to a DOT organizational chart. The agency did not return multiple requests by NJ Advance Media for comment on her employment status.

Her attorney, Haddonfield Township-based Steven Garber, declined to comment when reached by NJ Advance Media.

Fackler had previously been charged with driving under the influence in Metuchen in March 2024, municipal court records show. She also had previously had her license suspended, records show.

Police arrived at the crash site at Grand and Summit avenues in Ewing Township at 7:43 p.m. Oct. 5, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Bystanders were tending to Fackler’s three children, who were outside of her vehicle at the time officers arrived, according to a police report.

While being questioned by police, Fackler appeared intoxicated. She was observed slurring her words, and her “statements were incoherent,” police said in the affidavit. She failed sobriety tests and was taken into custody, police said.

Fackler’s blood alcohol level tested at 0.371%, over four times the legal limit, according to the affidavit.

Body cam footage from her arrest was first published on April 12 by Transparency Bodycam. NJ Advance Media obtained body cam and dash cam footage through an Open Public Records Act request.

“I was driving, making a turn and got hit by a truck,” Fackler told an officer. An investigation report by township police said Fackler was attempting to turn onto Grand Avenue from Summit Avenue when her vehicle collided with the truck.

Police body cam video show an officer noting there were “empty wine bottles in the back,” of Fackler’s vehicle. She told the officer they were from “weeks ago.”

At another point in the video, Fackler tells police, “I’m a little disoriented right now,” and that she was going through a divorce and living with her brother.

Fackler, who was sitting in her damaged vehicle during questioning, was ordered out of the vehicle.

“I work for the DOT, I understand how this works,” she told the officer, who replied, “If you’re telling me that you understand how we (police) do our job, you understand that you need to get out of the car.”

One of the children complained of head pain, prompting medics to evaluate all three, according to the affidavit. The children were taken by ambulance to Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell Township for further evaluation.

Fackler also had abrasions on her left hand and knee due to the impact, according to the affidavit.

A pre-indictment hearing is scheduled for May 21, court records show.