Driver Arrested After Wild Chain of Events on I-84

A driver has been arrested after police say he crossed through the median on Interstate 84, caused a head-on crash, and then fled the scene.

Head-on Crash on I-84

If you happened to be driving along I-84 over the weekend and got stuck in traffic, we've found more details about what happened.

I-84

According to the New York State Police, it began at approximately 4:51 p.m. on Sunday, September 27, when troopers from East Fishkill were dispatched to a reported two-vehicle personal injury crash on the westbound side of I-84 near mile marker 42.4.

When troopers arrived, they began investigating and determined that 31-year-old Oscar E. Barahona of Lynbrook was driving a 2007 Honda eastbound on I-84 when he attempted to make a turn through the center median.

That's when things went very wrong.

Police say Barahona entered the westbound lanes and swerved across all lanes of traffic before crashing head-on into a 2025 Toyota being driven by 66-year-old John Rota of Pleasant Valley.

Rota was injured in the crash and was transported to St. Luke's Hospital for evaluation. His injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

Suspect Fled the Scene of the Crash

Police said Barahona left the scene following the crash, but was located a short time later. When he was found, police said he refused medical attention and allegedly exhibited signs of intoxication, leading police to administer their standardized field sobriety tests.

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Barahona was taken into custody and transported to SP East Fishkill, where he submitted to a chemical breath test. Police say the test showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.13%, well above New York's legal limit of 0.08%.

Charges

As a result of the investigation, Barahona was charged with reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident in the first degree, driving while intoxicated, operating a motor vehicle with 0.08% or more alcohol in his blood, along with additional New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law violations.

Barahona was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in Town of Fishkill Court on October 22 at 9 a.m. Following processing, he was turned over to the Town of Newburgh Police Department.

If there has been a change to this information, such as charges being dropped or dismissed, please email me at CJ@HudsonValleyCountry.com to make the necessary change.