Vernon Man Drove Wrong Way On I-84 In East Hartford: State Police

EAST HARTFORD/VERNON, CT — A wrong-way driver who narrowly missed highway workers in a work zone on Interstate 84 Wednesday was operating under the influence before being taken into custody in East Hartford, police said.

According to Connecticut State Police, Andrey V. Kamenskiy, 61, of Vernon, was charged Wednesday with 10 counts of first-degree reckless endangerment; operating under the influence; driving the wrong way on a divided highway; and 10 counts of endangerment of highway workers in a highway work zone.

He was released on a $25,000 bond and will be arraigned in Manchester Superior Court on Aug. 30, police said.

According to state police, at about 3:30 a.m., state police at Troop H in Hartford started receiving 911 calls about a wrong-way driver on I-84 near Exit 50 in Hartford.

The vehicle — a BMW — was reportedly traveling eastbound in the westbound travel lanes of I-84, according to police.

While Troop H continued to receive 911 calls, it was reported the BMW was traveling the wrong way in the HOV lane near Exit 58 in East Hartford, entering an active construction.

Police said Troop H then received reports the BMW stopped in the construction area in East Hartford and the driver was speaking with workers on the site, outside of his vehicle.

The work site was being manned by 10 construction workers, police said.

When the responding trooper arrived on the scene, he saw a stationary, blue BMW facing the wrong way in the construction zone, with the suspect standing outside.

Police said Kamenskiy provided the trooper with a driver's license.

During the investigation, police said the suspect was showing signs of impairment and he failed field sobriety tests, leading to his arrest.

No injuries were reported and no other vehicles were involved, according to state police.

For the Connecticut State Police news page, click on this link.