NY woman charged with DUI after allegedly driving wrong way, in reverse, on I-95 in CT

A 911 call led to the arrest of a wrong-way driver who allegedly drove in reverse on Interstate 95 in Greenwich early Friday, state police said.

At 1:39 a.m. Friday, state police received a 911 call reporting a red SUV driving southbound in the northbound lanes on I-95 near Exit 3,  according to the Connecticut State Police.

Troopers from Troop G in Bridgeport were dispatched to the highway as desk personnel started combing through Department of Transportation highway camera footage to look for the SUV, state police said.

Troop G personnel found camera footage of the Honda HR-V stopped on the Exit 3 entrance ramp, then allege that the vehicle started driving in reverse on the right shoulder. From there, it crossed into the right lane, then the center lane still driving in reverse, according to state police.

State police said oncoming traffic swerved to avoid colliding with the reversing vehicle until the SUV turned around and headed northbound near Exit 5.

Troopers on the highway located the SUV allegedly driving southbound near Exit 2 and pulled over the driver, 49-year-old Flavia Cristina De Almeida Gomes of West Harrison, New York, who they believed to be impaired, according to state police.

De Almeida Gomes allegedly failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody, state police said.

She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, failing to maintain a proper lane, driving the wrong way on a divided highway, unsafe backing, improper parking and second-degree reckless endangerment, according to state police.

She was released on a $2,500 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in court in Stamford on April 26, state police said.

“As always, we ask that anyone who observes a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction please keep a safe distance away and call 911 as soon as possible, as this is a true emergency,” state police said in a statement.