State v. Michelle L. Elders

7-30-07 (A-42-06)

The “reasonable and articulable suspicion” standard of State v.
Carty, 174 N.J. 351 (2002), which governs consent searches of
cars that are validly stopped applies equally to disabled
vehicles on the State’s roadways. In this case, the Court
concludes that there was sufficient credible evidence in the
record to support the trial judge’s findings that the troopers
engaged in an unconstitutional investigatory detention and
search.