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Police: NJ Man Created Black Ice To Mask Drunken Driving Crash

SPARTA, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey police say a man poured water on a freezing road to try to fool officers into thinking the cause of his drunken car crash was black ice.

Twenty-year-old Bryan Byers, of Sparta, was arrested Saturday and charged with drunken driving and other offenses.

Authorities say he hit a guardrail after running a stop sign early that morning. Police say Byers and a friend then decided to dump water onto the road, causing it to ice over.

The friend, 20-year-old Alexander Zambenedetti, was also charged with drunken driving. Police say he wasn't wearing a shirt despite a wind chill of 15 below zero.

Byers could not be reached for comment. Zambenedetti didn't immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press.

Both men are due in court Thursday.

(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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