Police: Mom Nearly 4 Times Legal Limit When Car Flipped With 8-Year-Old Inside

A Bergen County mother was nearly four times the legal limit when her speeding car knocked down two utility poles and flipped over with her 8-year-old son inside, Sparta Police said.

Anna K. Phillips, 26, of East Rutherford, has been charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, fourth-degree aggravated assault by auto, DWI, reckless driving and other moving violations.

Phillips' blood-alcohol content was nearly four times the legal limit when she lost control of her 2012 Ford Focus while traveling with her son on Sparta Avenue about a quarter-mile from the Andover Township line at about 10:30 p.m. last Friday, Sgt. John-Paul Beebe said.

The vehicle swerved to the right and knocked down two utility poles, which fell across the entire roadway, Beebe said. The vehicle overturned, slammed into a tree and came to rest at a 45-degree angle with the nose of the car embedded in the ground, Beebe said.

The victims, who were both wearing seat belts, were entrapped and suspended upside down in their seats, according to Beebe.

Andover Township Police Officer George Loudis and Sparta Officer Daniel Elig cut the boy loose and carried him away from the crash, Beebe said. The Sparta Fire Department used the Jaws of Life to extricate the boy's mother.

The victims were transported by the Sparta First Aid Squad to Mohawk Avenue where they were flown in separate helicopters to Morristown Medical Center.

The boy has been released from the hospital and placed in the custody of a family member, Beebe said.

Phillips was charged and released after posting 10 percent of her $500,000 bail.