Jersey Shore town sued for letting 11-year-old use police’s drunk driving simulator where he crashed into a crowd

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A Jersey Shore town and its police department are being sued after allegedly letting an 11-year-old operate a golf cart while wearing drunk-driving “impairment goggles” — which the youngster crashed into a crowd.

The incident unfolded on August 6, 2024, in Wildwood, along the New Jersey coast, during a community event known as National Night Out, meant to foster relations between residents and local police officers.

Children in attendance could navigate a course on a golf cart while wearing “impairment goggles” that simulate intoxication. An 11-year-old was participating when he pressed the accelerator pedal and lost control of the vehicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The golf cart veered off the course, which had been set up with orange police cones on a baseball field at Fox Park, and injured several people.

Wildwood police officer Jonathan Goraj was in the passenger seat of the golf cart at the time of the incident, according to a lawsuit filed August 5, 2026, in Cape May County Superior Court.

Wildwood, New Jersey, is being sued after allegedly allowing an 11-year-old boy operate a golf cart while wearing ‘impairment goggles’ that simulate drunk driving, according to a report (Getty Images)

Wildwood resident Christopher Hines and his extended family from Ohio — David and Lori Galambos, their daughter Rachel Kelly, and their grandsons, Simon and Gideon — are named as plaintiffs in the suit.

The lawsuit alleges that the police officer and department should have known the risk of putting a child in the driver’s seat while simulating intoxication “because the very purpose of the demonstration was to illustrate the dangers of impaired driving.”

Hines, David Galambos and Simon Galambos were injured in the crash, while the mom, grandmother and sibling witnessed it, the lawsuit claims.

Hines suffered injuries to his neck, back and legs, while the grandfather suffered injuries to his neck, rib, hip and “severe emotional trauma,” the lawsuit states.

Three people, including the child, were injured in the crash (Getty Images)

Simon, the child, suffered a collapsed lung, a concussion and injuries to his neck and back. He also suffered from emotional distress, the lawsuit said.

The defendants in the suit are the City of Wildwood, its police department, Goraj and the National Night Out organization.

A city spokesperson said they do not comment on open litigation.