An Elmsford man was charged with felony Driving While Intoxicated this morning after a Westchester County Police officer intercepted him driving the wrong way on the Saw Mill River Parkway in Yonkers.
At 4:07 a.m., a County Police officer was patrolling the parkway and driving northbound near Palmer Road when he observed an Audi sedan coming at him in the wrong direction of travel. He let the vehicle pass him in the left lane of travel, made a U-turn and pulled the driver over a short distance away.
The driver had an odor of alcohol on his breath and told the officer he was driving home to Elmsford from Manhattan. He was taken into custody after failing a roadside field sobriety test.
Daniel Marino, 30, of Town Green Drive, Elmsford, was charged with a felony count of DWI because he has a previous DWI conviction in the past 10 years. He was also charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation 3rd Degree, a misdemeanor, and was issued summonses for operating an unregistered vehicle and for driving the wrong way.
He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Yonkers City Court on Aug. 8.
Acting Commissioner Terrance Raynor said, “Several other vehicles came northbound on the parkway right after our officer stopped this car. They would have been directly in the path of this wrong-way, intoxicated driver. This traffic stop and arrest averted a potential tragedy.”
