Police: 'Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro Arrested On DUI Charges
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in Manhattan early Thursday morning, police said.
Valastro, of Montville, New Jersey, was seen in his yellow 2014 Corvette swerving through traffic on 10th Avenue near the Hudson Yards around 1 a.m., police said.
When he was pulled over, police said officers noticed Valastro was flushed, had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol.
In court Thursday, an assistant district attorney said Valastro told officers, "You can't arrest me! I'm the cake boss!"
Valastro also allegedly said, "Can you just put me in a cab? I don't have to be arrested. I'm not a bad guy."
"No one's power goes above the law. He probably shouldn't have said that. Made me lose respect for him," Hoboken resident Evan Tabas said.
Police said he failed more than one sobriety test and was arrested for DUI.
He was arraigned Thursday on two counts of drunk driving and rejected a plea deal from prosecutors, not pleading at all, CBS2's Weijia Jiang reported.
As Carlin reported, Valastro left the courthouse Thursday evening without comment.
He released a statement later Thursday saying, "Please know that I want to share and explain to you what happened today and I look forward to doing so at a later date."
This appears to be Valastro's first offense.
Valastro's attorneys would not comment on the charges, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.
It is unclear what he was doing earlier in Manhattan and where he was heading when police stopped him around 1 a.m.
Valastro owns Carlo's Bakery on Washington Street in Hoboken where TLC's "Cake Boss" is filmed. He has several other bakeries located in New Jersey, Manhattan, Queens, and Las Vegas.
Reaction to his arrest from people outside the Hoboken location was mixed.
"I think that if I were a parent I would wonder whether I should bring my kid into a place where somebody was charged with DUI," one man said.
"Just cause he is who he is doesn't mean he's not going to make a mistake," one woman said.
"I think he's a good dad and he runs a good business and he made a mistake." Jami Camp said, a tourist from Sandusky, Ohio.
The Hoboken bake shop had no comment.
He is due back in court in January.
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