Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Wanaque, New Jersey, in Passaic County, has about 11,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DWI arrest in Wanaque starts two cases, a criminal case in the Municipal Court and a license case before the Motor Vehicle Commission, and leaves three records. This guide follows the arrest from the roadside to the court file and the driving record.
This guide covers the law, the arrest, booking, the court case, the license case, the records and common questions.
Related guides: Wanaque public records, Passaic County DWI, Wanaque arrest records, Wanaque warrants, Wanaque inmate search, Wanaque criminal records, New Jersey arrest records and New Jersey inmate search.
The DWI Law in New Jersey
In New Jersey the offense is DWI, and the limit is 0.08.
Driving in New Jersey is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DWI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Motor Vehicle Commission, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, New Jersey counts prior offenses within 10 years.
Who Makes DWI Arrests in Wanaque
The Passaic County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Wanaque (filed by the FBI as Wanaque Police Department) make the DWI arrests in and around Wanaque.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Passaic County: William Paterson University (campus police); Prosecutor in Passaic County (other agency); the Passaic County State Police (state police); the Passaic County State Police makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the 17 agencies in Passaic County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 7,540 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Passaic County does not break DWI out.
Booking After a DWI Arrest in Wanaque
A driver arrested for DWI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, held about 560 people on an average day in 2020 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at pcsheriff.org/corrections/inmate_search/index.php, phone 973-881-4200. The Wanaque inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The case is heard in the Municipal Court, brought by the County Prosecutor or, in a municipal court, by the city's own prosecutor.
The County Prosecutor's page SearchSystems verified is at njoag.gov, phone 609-292-4791.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at records.passaiccountynj.org/press/Clerk/ClerkHome.aspx?op=basic.
Statewide, New Jersey Courts Public Access is the Judiciary's free online case search for civil and criminal cases.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Motor Vehicle Commission runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DWI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Open Public Records Act.
- The court file: from the Municipal Court, kept by the Superior Court Clerk and the County Clerk.
- The driving record: from the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
More on each: Wanaque arrest records, Wanaque police reports and Wanaque court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWI limit in New Jersey?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DWI case from Wanaque heard?
In the Municipal Court. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at records.passaiccountynj.org.
Where is a person arrested for DWI in Wanaque held?
At the county jail, run by the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DWI arrest in New Jersey?
The Motor Vehicle Commission, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DWI count as a prior in New Jersey?
10 years.
Is this the official Wanaque website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.