The NJ Blog

Zamboni driver John Peragallo, 64, was convicted of drunken driving in 2005 after a fellow employee at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, New Jersey told police the Peragallo was speeding and nearly crashed into the ice rink's boards. A breath test reveled that Peragallo's blood alcohol level was 0.12 percent, well above the 0.08 that is considered legally drunk in New Jersey.

So why did Peragallo, 64 -- who admitted at his trial that he had a shot of Sambuca with his breakfast coffee and two Valium pills before work and that he drank beer and vodka after he cleaned the ice -- get his DWI conviction overtuned this week?

Well, according to Superior Court Judge Joseph Falcone, Zambonis are not motor vehicles because they cannot be used on highways and cannot carry passengers and thus not subject to the state's DWI laws.

We assume Judge Falcone hadn't heard of this incident, where two Boise, Idaho city employees were fired from the city's ice skating rink after making a midnight fast-food run to Burger King in a pair of Zambonis, when he issued his decision on Monday.

Labels: DWI, Morristown, Superior Court