Terms Used In New Jersey Statutes 39:5-25

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • person: includes corporations, companies, associations, societies, firms, partnerships and joint stock companies as well as individuals, unless restricted by the context to an individual as distinguished from a corporate entity or specifically restricted to one or some of the above enumerated synonyms and, when used to designate the owner of property which may be the subject of an offense, includes this State, the United States, any other State of the United States as defined infra and any foreign country or government lawfully owning or possessing property within this State. See New Jersey Statutes 1:1-2
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
39:5-25. Any law enforcement officer may, without a warrant, arrest any person violating in his presence any provision of chapter 3 of this Title, or any person, other than a motorman or person having control of a street car or auto bus, running upon a route approved by the Board of Public Utilities, violating in his presence any provision of chapter 4 of this Title. A law enforcement officer may arrest without a warrant any person who the officer has probable cause to believe has operated a motor vehicle in violation of R.S.39:4-50 or section 5 of P.L. 1990, c. 103 (C. 39:3-10.13), regardless of whether the suspected violation occurs in the officer’s presence. The exemption from arrest of a motorman or person having control of a street car or auto bus, as conferred herein, shall not operate to prevent his arrest, however, for a violation of R.S.39:4-50. The arresting officer shall bring any person so arrested before any judge of the municipal court of the municipality wherein the offense is committed, or before the director at any place designated as his office. If the arrest is for a violation of R.S.39:4-50, the arresting officer may, if no judge, clerk or deputy clerk is available, detain the person arrested, either in any police station, lockup or other place maintained by any municipality for the detention of offenders or in the common jail of the county, for such reasonable time as will permit the arresting officer to obtain a warrant for the offender’s further detention, which temporary detention shall not exceed 24 hours from the time of the arrest. If the arrest is for a violation of any other provision of this subtitle, the person arrested shall be detained in the police station or municipal court until the arresting officer makes a complaint and a warrant issues.

Any law enforcement officer may, instead of arresting an offender as herein provided, serve upon him a summons.

Amended 1940,c.139; 1953,c.36,s.26; 1983,c.403,s.22; 1983,c.563; 1994,c.184,s.4.