April 5, 2020

UPDATE: April 6, 2020 with further information:

NJ Attorney General Press Release Information:

Dennis Steward, 52, of Valley Stream, N.Y., was charged on April 4 in Hamilton, Mercer County, with terroristic threats during an emergency (2nd degree), throwing bodily fluid at an officer (4th degree), and DWI. Steward was charged after he crashed into a house on South Olden Avenue in Hamilton. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Trenton at his request after he complained of chest pains. While there, he allegedly became aggressive and spat on hospital security guards, two Hamilton police officers, and a nurse. He claimed he had Covid-19 and had just come back from visiting someone in Bronx, N.Y., who died from the virus.

Press Release on the Incident:

On April 5, 2020, Hamilton Police were detailed to the 1200 block of S. Olden Avenue on a report of a motor vehicle accident involving a car into a house. Responding officers located the above pictured suspect, identified as 52 year old New York resident, Dennis Steward, attempting to walk away from the scene. Officers on scene determined that Mr. Steward was driving while intoxicated and placed him under arrest. Upon transporting Mr. Steward from the scene of the accident to a nearby hospital for evaluation, he began acting aggressive and advised emergency medical technicians and officers that he had COVID-19. Mr. Steward advised first responders that he intended to infect everyone with the virus. Once Mr. Steward was brought into the hospital, he began to purposely spit in the direction of officers and hospital staff. One of the officers was eventually spit on by Mr. Steward. Mr. Steward was then sedated and evaluated by hospital staff where he was eventually released back into the custody of Hamilton Police and charged accordingly. Dennis Steward was charged with DUI, Terroristic Threats, and Throwing Bodily Fluid at Law Enforcement Officers. He was housed at the Mercer County Correctional Facility awaiting arraignment. Every defendant is presumed innocent until being found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Photos and story by: Dennis Symons, Jr.

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–The Hamilton Township Fire Department was dispatched to South Olden Avenue and Loomis around 9:45 pm. for a vehicle into a structure. It appears that a vehicle traveling in a southerly direction on S. Olden Ave., lost control and hit a corner of a house causing severe damage to the front corner. The vehicle came to rest in the side yard and it was reported the person walked away.

Hamilton Township Firefighters with their special operations team were able to shore up the corner of the home to keep it from falling. Township building and electrical inspectors were on scene as well as PSE&G.

No further information was available at the time of this report.

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