Dwight Gooden arrested again in New Jersey, charged with DWI

WABC logo
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Dwight Gooden arrested again in New Jersey, charged with DWI
Ryan Field reports on the arrest of pitching great Dwight "Doc" Gooden for the second time in six weeks.

HOLMDEL, New Jersey (WABC) -- Pitching great Dwight "Doc" Gooden, who won three World Series titles with New York teams, was arrested in New Jersey Monday night for the second time in six weeks.

Police say the 54-year-old Gooden was pulled over on Ferry Street and Vincent Street in Newark around 11 p.m. after driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated.

"It's sad to see the continued problems of this former Mets' star, but it's an example of the persistent scourge of drugs and alcohol in this country and the stranglehold they have on addicts," Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

The latest arrest comes on the heels of another on June 7 in Holmdel, after police say they pulled Gooden over for driving too slowly and then found two small green plastic baggies allegedly containing cocaine.

Gooden, now 54, won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1984 and the NL Cy Young in 1985 as a member of the Mets, before helping the team win their second World Series in 1986.

He was then sent to rehab after failing a drug test, and his potentially Hall-of-Fame career was derailed by drug and alcohol addiction and accompanying legal troubles.

He pitched a no hitter for the Yankees in 1996, and the team would go on win the World Series that year.

He then made stops in Cleveland, Houston and Tampa Bay over the next four seasons before returning to the Bronx Bombers in 2000 for another championship.

He was suspended for the 1995 season after failing a drug test, and he served seven months in prison in 2006 after violating his probation.

He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2010.

----------

* More New Jersey news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube