Rutgers Professor Charged With DUI After 2 AM Stop In Princeton: Bodycam

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A Rutgers University professor was arrested for drunk driving in Princeton days before Halloween, according to newly released bodycam footage and court records.

Judith Surkis, a Rutgers history professor who specializes in modern European history, as well as women’s and gender studies, intellectual, and legal history, was stopped by Princeton Police Officer Nia Toombs just before 2 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, according to YouTube channel Transparency Bodycam, which posted video of the arrest.

Officer Toombs said she spotted a tan 2015 Subaru with a flat tire driving erratically before the stop at Witherspoon and Wiggins streets, the channel said, citing police paperwork.

In the video, Surkis immediately acknowledges the flat tire when Toombs approaches the car, saying it had just happened as she was leaving the train station. She tells the officer she was returning from a fellowship in New York City.

When asked if she realized the tire was flat and that it was unsafe to drive, Surkis said that she just wanted to go home and deal with the flat in the morning. She told the officer she had been out to dinner earlier and drank "two to three glasses," her last drink being about two hours before driving.

Toombs said she smelled alcohol and told Surkis she wanted to make sure she was safe to drive, noting that “driving on a flat is not normal.” Surkis repeatedly said she just wanted to go home.

The video shows Surkis struggling through multiple field sobriety tests. Police said she was unable to recite the alphabet correctly, lost her balance during the walk-and-turn test, and failed to lift her foot properly during the one-leg stand test.

She was arrested and charged with DUI, reckless driving, careless driving, and operating a vehicle in unsafe condition, court records show. Her Subaru was towed for a mandatory 12-hour impound under John’s Law.

Surkis agreed to provide breath samples and was released to a sober adult pending a court appearance, police said.

According to records, Surkis was cited in 2024 for delaying traffic in Southampton and in 2018 for driving or parking an unregistered vehicle.

Surkis, who earned her Ph.D. from Cornell and has taught at Rutgers since 2012, is rated 3.7 out of 5 on the site Rate My Professor, based on 12 student reviews. She is described as “caring,” “accessible outside class,” and “gives good feedback,” though some students called her a “tough grader.” About 67% of students said they would take her class again.

Rutgers University has not yet responded to a Daily Voice request for comment.