Woburn Man Charged with Drunken Driving After Hitting Hydrant in Arlington

A 29-year-old Woburn man was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with drunken driving after striking a fire hydrant on Mystic Street in Arlington.

In addition to operating under the influence of alcohol (first offense), Nicholas C. McCaffrey, of Center Street, was charged with having an open container in a motor vehicle, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation and a seatbelt violation, according to police.

McCaffrey flagged down an Armstrong ambulance after the crash. According to a preliminary investigation, McCaffrey was traveling south on Mystic Street, near Old Mystic Street, when he ran over a small tree, hit a large stone wall and then ran over the hydrant, causing “large volumes of water” to spill out onto the street, before his 2011 Hyundai sedan came to rest against a utility pole.

McCaffrey failed both field sobriety tests and a breath test on scene, police said. There allegedly was an open beer can on the passenger-side floor next to him.

He told police he was on his cell phone when he struck a curb, which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. He said he had consumed two beers earlier in the night.

The crash occurred at about 2 a.m.