New York Jets rookie tight end Chris Herndon was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after crashing his car into a vehicle operated by a 76-year-old man at 4:45 a.m. ET Saturday in New Jersey, a state police spokesman confirmed.
Herndon, 22, driving a Nissan Armada, totaled a Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser that was transporting a vintage automobile, spokesman Lawrence Peele told ESPN. Herndon was handcuffed at the scene and taken to a nearby New Jersey State Police barracks, where a Breathalyzer test confirmed he was over the legal limit, Peele said. He declined to release the results.
Herndon suffered minor injuries, but they weren't disclosed on the police report. The other driver, Albert Elliott, of Manalapan, New Jersey, suffered a bruised and gashed arm, according to police.
Herndon, a fourth-round pick from the University of Miami, was processed and released. An undisclosed court date was scheduled. He's subject to discipline under the NFL's personal-conduct and substance-abuse policies.
The accident occurred on Route 80 in Rockaway, New Jersey, about 20 minutes from the Jets' training facility.
"We are aware of the situation and have no further comment at this time," a Jets spokesman said.
This was the Jets' sixth player arrest in the past 13 months, the third for drunken driving. Linebacker Dylan Donahue has two pending DWI cases.
The Jets continued OTA practices on Monday, but it's unclear if Herndon attended. He recently signed a four-year, $3.2 million contract that included a $711,000 signing bonus.
At Miami, Herndon caught 40 passes for 477 yards and four touchdowns last season. He suffered a knee injury late in the year, which probably hurt his draft stock. He just recently had been cleared to practice fully.
The Miami Herald first reported the arrest.
