OLD TOWN — A Staten Island drunk driver backed into a parked ambulance, pulled forward then reversed into it again, prosecutors said.
A witness saw Peter Merlo, 43, back his 2008 Nissan Altima into an ambulance, which was unoccupied, twice in front of 181 Wilson St. around 5 p.m., according to court papers.
Police noticed Merlo had bloodshot eyes, slurred his speech and had alcohol on his breath when they approached them. They gave him a Breathalyzer test which recorded a blood alcohol content of .166, court papers read.
Merlo was charged with driving while intoxicated and was released without bail, according to online court records. He's due back in court on March 2.
His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Other recent crimes on Staten Island include:
► Police found a drunk driver asleep at the wheel after he crashed his car into a telephone pole Tuesday, prosecutors said.
Johnathan Collins, 28, crashed his 2004 Dodge Ram into a telephone pole near 110 Nelson Ave. around 12:10 a.m., court papers read.
When police responded to the crash, they found Collins asleep at the wheel. He was unable to stand when they woke him, according to court papers.
"I was drinking at my girlfriend's house," Collins told officers, according to court papers. "I had three vodkas. I was driving home."
Police found he had a blood alcohol content of .236 after a breathalyzer test, court papers read.
Collins was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated at his arraignment. He was released without bail and is due back in court on March 2, according to court records.
His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
► A Bronx man banned for life from Macy's forced open a cash register at the Staten Island location and stole $375, prosecutors said.
Alonzo Pugh, 53, used a metal object to get into the register in the store's the Staten Island Mall location on May 15, 2014, and took the cash around 7:20 p.m., according to court papers.
Pugh previously received a lifetime ban from the chain of stores, court papers read. It was unclear why.
A worker at the store said she could not comment.
Pugh was charged with burglary, petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. He's being held on $7,500 bail and is due back in court Friday, according to court records.
His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
► An office manager at a doctor's office forged prescriptions to get pills for herself and her husband, sources said.
Michelle Lamonaca, 37, used 34 forged prescription pads to buy 1,020 Vycanse pills, a central nervous system stimulator, from two Staten Island pharmacies between January 2013 to September 2014, according to court papers.
Lamonaca was arrested on Monday and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and a forged instrument, according to the Staten Island District Attorney's office.
She was released without bail and is due back in court on March 6, according to court records.
Her lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
► A man burglarized a safe from the home of a family friend he had known for 30 years, prosecutors said.
Michael Dinaso, 38, broke into the Meade Loop home on Saturday and took a metal safe from a bedroom closet, court papers read.
A witness saw Dinaso leave the house with the safe in a red bag on his shoulder and called the owner, whose brother followed and recognized Dinaso, court papers read.
Dinaso was charged with burglary, petit larceny, criminal mischief and criminal possession of stolen property. He's being held on $1,500 bail and is due back in court on Friday, according to court records.
A lawyer for Dinaso did not respond to a request for comment.
