Dashcam: Wrong-Way Driver Swerves to Avoid Conn. Trooper's Cruiser

Dec. 3, 2024

An accused impaired driver narrowly avoided colliding with a Connecticut State Police trooper's cruiser before crashing head-on into another vehicle while traveling the wrong way.

Joe Vince

Connecticut State Police dashboard camera footage captured a frightening moment when an accused intoxicated wrong-way driver swerved out of the way of a trooper before crashing into another vehicle over the weekend.

The incident happened shortly after 12:15 a.m. Sunday when a Connecticut State Patrol trooper encountered a driver—later identified as Thabiso P. Mgoza, 38—traveling the wrong way along Interstate 95 in New Haven, WTNH-TV reports. The trooper tried to block the driver's path, but Mgoza swerved to avoid colliding with the cruiser.

That close call, however, led to a head-on crash with another vehicle in West Haven. Fortunately, three people in the vehicles only suffered minor injuries.

Following the crash, police said Mgoza had trouble keeping his balance and didn't know what led him to his wrong-way escapade. His also failed field sobriety tests.

Mgoza was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a license, illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs, failure to drive in the proper lane, driving the wrong way on a divided highway and second-degree reckless endangerment. He was released on $5,000 bond.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.