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Port Authority officer makes 79th DWI arrest this year: Fort Lee cosmetologist

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: A Fort Lee cosmetologist stopped at the George Washington Bridge early this morning became the 79th person that Port Authority Police Officer Edwin Berdecia has arrested for DWI this year.

Photo Credit: Courtesy PORT AUTHORITY PD

Cherie Lambiase, 42, was also wanted on a warrant out of Englewood, the authority’s Joseph Pentangelo said.

Berdecia pulled over her car for having a broken headlight at Bridge Plaza North and West Street around 1 a.m., Pentangelo said. The officer “spoke to her and noticed she had bloodshot eyes and an odor of alcohol,” he said.

Lambiase, a Bergen Community College graduate originally from Bogota, was arrested on charges of DWI, contempt of court (for the warrant), careless driving and operating a vehicle with a broken headlight, Pentangelo said.

The car was impounded, he added.

Berdecia has been honored for his work by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Earlier this month, he arrested a drunken motorist who pulled into a George Washington Bridge toll plaza with two flat tires and front-end damage after driving his car onto a Fort Lee sidewalk — taking down everything in its path.

(SEE: DWI driver caught at GWB tolls after mowing down Fort Lee poles, bushes, parking meter)

“79 DWI arrests in a single year in New Jersey and New York is out of the ordinary and deserving of commendation,” Pentangelo said. “The officer is doing an outstanding job.”

POLICE PHOTO / MUGSHOT: Courtesy PORT AUTHORITY PD

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