New Jersey Police in Dunellen Issue 74 Distracted Driving Citations in Six Hour Downtown Operation Using an Undercover Officer Dressed as a Shrub
The enforcement sweep targeted drivers holding phones in a busy downtown corridor.
DUNELLEN, NJ — Police in Dunellen issued 74 distracted-driving citations during a six-hour operation last Wednesday on North Washington Avenue, using an undercover officer dressed as a shrub to spot drivers holding phones. The effort took place in the borough’s downtown, which police described as a busy area with heavy pedestrian traffic.
Police Chief Dan Smith said the operation was a separate enforcement detail and was not paid for with state grant money. He said it was meant to address ongoing problems the department has been seeing. WHYY reported that the tactic quickly drew attention well beyond Middlesex County, but the citations themselves were the result of a local traffic enforcement detail.
What Police Confirmed
Smith told WHYY that the shrub disguise was used as part of a periodic extra enforcement effort, not as a grant-funded campaign. The department joined other New Jersey agencies that have taken part in the state Office of the Attorney General’s “Put the Phone Away or Pay” campaign, but Smith said this particular sweep was separate from that program.
The source also says the operation focused on drivers who were holding a cellphone behind the wheel. Police did not say how many officers took part, whether any crashes were prevented, or whether any motorists contested the tickets on the scene. The citations were issued over one six-hour period along the same downtown corridor.
Why The Law Matters
New Jersey law bans drivers from holding a cellphone while driving, and the state is among 29 states with a handheld cellphone ban. According to the source, violations can bring fines of $200 to $400 for a first offense, $400 to $600 for a second offense and up to $800 for later offenses, along with three insurance points.
Every violation also requires a mandatory court appearance. The Attorney General’s office has said distracted driving remains a major problem in New Jersey, with 42% of crashes in 2024 involving a distracted driver. During the state’s April 2025 distracted-driving enforcement campaign, police issued 6,872 citations for cellphone use or texting.
What Happens Next
Drivers cited in the Dunellen sweep will have to answer the summons in court, though the source did not say when those appearances are scheduled. Police also did not say whether the shrub tactic will be used again in the borough or adopted by other departments in the county.
The article notes that officers across the country have used other disguises and elevated vantage points to catch phone users, including panhandlers, construction workers, surveyors and even school-bus riders. For New Jersey drivers, the current question is not whether the law exists, but how aggressively departments will keep enforcing it in places where people are most likely to look at a phone instead of the road.
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