Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
City Worker Accused Of Driving To Mayor's Inauguration Drunk
By
Ben Muessig
Published Jan 2, 2010
Modified Jan 2, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Muessig
Published Jan 2, 2010
Modified Jan 2, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An employee of the city's Department of Homeless Services is accused of having a bit too much to drink before reporting to work on New Year's Day. Nathaniel Chambers, 45, is suspected of drunk driving on his way to pick up Commissioner Robert Hess, who was waiting for a ride to the Mayor's inauguration yesterday morning.
Chambers ran into trouble when he drove his city-issued Ford Explorer — which wasn't equipped with an E-ZPass — into an E-ZPass-only lane at the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge toll plaza. According to the Post, he tried to convince tollbooth workers to lift the gate by flashing a red siren sitting on the dashboard. When police approached the vehicle, they knew something was wrong. "When he rolled down the window, he smelled of alcohol," a source told the Daily News. Chambers tried to tell police he was in a hurry, but that didn't help. "He was pretty drunk and he was using his position to get out of it."
When officers told Chambers to step out of the vehicle, he reportedly "couldn't even stand up straight," became belligerent, and called a sergeant a "cracker." The Daily News reports that Chambers refused to take a Breathalyzer test, so one of the officers held the machine in front of his mouth while he shouted at them, registering a blood-alcohol level of .089 — just above the legal limit of .08 even though the test wasn't properly administered. Officers then cuffed Chambers and brought him to the 25th Precinct stationhouse in Harlem, where he again refused to be tested.
When he was released yesterday night, Chambers — who was fined $750 for a DWI in 2003 in which he recorded a .10 blood-alcohol level — told reporters: "I wasn't drunk." Department of Homeless Services officials said they are conducting their own investigation of the incident. Commissioner Hess got to City Hall in time to see Bloomberg sworn in for his third time, though he traveled there "by his own means."
Tagged
blood test
breathalyzer
city employee
department of homeless services
drunk driving
dui
dwi
inaugural
mayor bloomberg
Nathaniel Chambers
nypd
police
Robert Hess
Ben Muessig
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Woman whose body was found in Brooklyn garbage can was strangled, medical examiner says
Police hadn't previously ruled the woman's death a homicide, pending the medical examiner ruling.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 12:57 p.m. ET
New York Public Radio CEO steps down after 8 months on job
Chief executive Christy Tanner is resigning after just eight months at the helm. New York Public Radio is the parent organization for WNYC and Gothamist.
By
Liam Quigley
News
New York Public Radio CEO steps down after 8 months on job
Chief executive Christy Tanner is resigning after just eight months at the helm. New York Public Radio is the parent organization for WNYC and Gothamist.
By
Liam Quigley
Early Addition: Can't stop the sticker bombers
By
James Ramsay
Cyclist dies in wrong-way crash with an ambulance on Staten Island
By
Brittany Kriegstein
With election 3 weeks away, Hochul and Blakeman to square off in lone NY governor debate
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .