Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A drunk-driving suspect crashed his SUV into the front of a River Edge realty office and ignited a fire in the early-morning hours of Thursday, June 4, 2026, prompting a dramatic evacuation of apartment residents above the burning building, according to News 12 Long Island.
The crash occurred at approximately 2:45 a.m. on Kinderkamack Road, when a white Chevrolet Equinox SUV failed to navigate an intersection and plowed into the front of Nigito Realty Co. Video footage from the scene captured open flames rising from the vehicle in the immediate aftermath of the impact. The force and resulting fire drew an emergency response that would shut down a stretch of Kinderkamack Road for more than four hours.
The driver, identified by prosecutors as Johan Valencia-Restrepo of New Milford, was taken to a local hospital following the collision. He was subsequently transferred to police custody. News 12 Long Island reports that prosecutors have charged Valencia-Restrepo with driving while intoxicated and with failing to turn when approaching an intersection — the alleged failure that sent his Equinox directly into the face of the realty building rather than continuing along the roadway.
Because Nigito Realty Co. has residential apartments situated directly above the commercial space, firefighters faced an immediate life-safety concern beyond the burning vehicle. Responders assisted residents in evacuating the building via a fire escape, successfully getting occupants out of the structure while crews worked to contain the blaze. Town officials indicated that one person was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, though that detail had not been officially confirmed as of News 12’s initial reporting on the morning of June 4. It remains unclear whether the injured party was a building resident, a bystander, or Valencia-Restrepo himself — though he is separately noted as having been hospitalized.
Authorities closed a section of Kinderkamack Road in the immediate aftermath to allow for emergency operations, fire suppression, and investigation. That closure was lifted and the road fully reopened by 7 a.m., according to News 12 Long Island. Authorities stated they were continuing to gather information as of the morning report.
Location & Road Context
Kinderkamack Road is one of Bergen County’s primary north-south arterial corridors, running through multiple municipalities including River Edge. The stretch through River Edge features a dense mix of commercial storefronts and mixed-use buildings — properties where ground-floor businesses share structures with residential tenants above, exactly the configuration that elevated the danger of this pre-dawn crash. Intersections along Kinderkamack Road can be closely spaced in commercial zones, and prosecutors allege Valencia-Restrepo failed to execute a required turn at one of those intersections, sending his vehicle directly into the façade of a building at Kinderkamack Road, River Edge.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Johan Valencia-Restrepo faces at least two charges stemming from the overnight crash: driving while intoxicated under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law, and a traffic infraction for failing to turn at an intersection. He was arraigned after being discharged from the hospital and is now in police custody. Authorities indicated the investigation remains active and that they are continuing to collect evidence and information related to the collision and the resulting building fire.
What This DWI Charge Means
Under New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law §1192, impaired-driving charges are tiered by severity. A charge of Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) applies when a driver’s ability is impaired but their blood alcohol content (BAC) falls below 0.08%. A standard DWI charge — which Valencia-Restrepo faces — is triggered at a BAC of 0.08% or higher. An Aggravated DWI charge applies when a driver’s BAC reaches 0.18% or above and carries substantially steeper penalties. The exact BAC alleged in Valencia-Restrepo’s case has not been publicly disclosed as of initial reporting.
For a first-offense standard DWI conviction in New York, a driver faces fines ranging from $500 to $1,000, a mandatory minimum six-month license revocation, possible jail time of up to one year, and a required ignition interlock device installed on any vehicle the offender owns or operates. Court-mandated attendance in a DDP (Drinking Driver Program) is also typical. Repeat offenders face dramatically elevated fines, longer revocations, and mandatory minimum incarceration under New York’s felony DWI statutes. If Valencia-Restrepo’s charges include any aggravated component or involve serious physical injury to another person, the potential consequences increase accordingly under New York Penal Law.
New York’s implied consent law also carries significant consequences for drivers who refuse a chemical test (breathalyzer or blood draw) when lawfully requested by law enforcement. A refusal results in an automatic one-year license revocation imposed by the DMV — separate from any criminal court proceeding — and a civil fine of $500. That revocation is administrative, meaning it applies regardless of whether the driver is ultimately convicted of DWI in criminal court. A second refusal within five years triggers a civil penalty of $750 and a 18-month revocation.
Case Status & Updates
As with all criminal matters, it is important to note that an arrest and the filing of charges constitute accusations, not findings of guilt. Johan Valencia-Restrepo is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case is expected to proceed through the local New Jersey or New York district court system — given that River Edge is located in Bergen County, New Jersey, the applicable jurisdiction will be New Jersey state court rather than a Long Island criminal court, though the broader legal framework for DWI proceedings follows similar procedural tracks.
Long Island Traffic monitors DWI cases from charge through disposition and will update this report as arraignment outcomes, plea agreements, and any sentencing information become part of the public record. Readers with information about this incident are encouraged to check back for updates as the case progresses.
Broader Impact
The River Edge crash underscores a recurring danger specific to mixed-use corridor buildings: when a vehicle strikes a commercial façade, the threat extends immediately upward to any residents above. Firefighters’ use of a fire escape to evacuate residents in this case points directly to how quickly a ground-floor vehicle fire can compromise interior egress routes — a scenario that building safety advocates note is particularly acute in older commercial strips where ground-floor retail and upper-floor apartments share a single stairwell. Residents along similar mixed-use stretches of Long Island’s major commercial roads face analogous structural configurations at hundreds of locations across Nassau and Suffolk counties.