Former UW president had alcohol on breath after minor accident

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers University President Richard L. McCormick had alcohol on his breath after leaving the scene of a minor accident in a parking lot, according to an account by university police obtained by a newspaper.

McCormick, who was president at the University of Washington before being appointed to the Rutgers post in December, said he did not realize a collision occurred and blamed fatigue.

"I wouldn't knowingly flee the scene of an accident in a million years," McCormick told the Home News Tribune of East Brunswick.

Piscataway police had not filed any charges as of Wednesday, and did not give McCormick a field sobriety test or breath test, Rutgers spokesman Mark Maben said.

"There is no police report on this either, and I think that's a reflection on the fact that the accident was so minor," Maben said.

Piscataway police did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Piscataway police Capt. Rick Ivone told the newspaper that officers must file reports if they suspect drunken driving, but it is optional in minor accidents where wrongdoing is not suspected.

The incident happened as McCormick was leaving the parking lot of a convenience store about 10:30 p.m. Friday in his personal vehicle, according to a summary provided Wednesday by the university.

McCormick backed into a car owned by Samuel Edwards of Piscataway and continued on to his residence, followed by Edwards, who told McCormick of the accident, the summary said. McCormick apologized, and said he did not realize there was contact.

Edwards' vehicle had scratched paint on the bumper and a bent license plate, and McCormick agreed to pay for any repairs, the summary said.

Edwards, an off-duty Piscataway police dispatcher, summoned township police, and Rutgers police also responded to the home, which is about two miles from the store, the newspaper reported.

McCormick's eyes were "extremely glassy," there was "a strong odor of alcohol" on his breath and he was "unstable when he walked and stood," according to a report obtained by the Home News Tribune.

Maben said the report was an "internal operational document" used to account for the whereabouts of Rutgers officers.

In the summary released Wednesday, the school said McCormick had a glass and a half of red wine at dinner with his family, then visited his parents in Somerset County before heading back home about 10 p.m. He stopped at the convenience store on his way home.

McCormick started his day with a 7:30 a.m. flight to Washington, D.C., returning by train for a meeting in Trenton that did not begin until 6 p.m., the summary said.