COVENTRY — A trucker was arrested in Orleans County today after police say he drove a tractor-trailer the wrong way on I-91 in Coventry.
A state police trooper says he was headed south on I-91 at around 2:45 p.m. when he encountered the rig traveling north in the southbound lane near mile marker 167.
Multiple 911 calls started coming in at the same time from members of the public alerting police to the wrong-way driver.
Troopers, along with Orleans County Sheriff’s Deputies, Newport Police Officers, and VT Department of Motor Vehicles Inspectors began responding to the area.
Troopers in marked units slowed southbound traffic north of the hazard, while detectives were able to overtake the vehicle by using the northbound lane.
Within minutes of the initial sighting, troopers, along with other responding law enforcement, authorities were able to stop and contain the truck in the area of the exit 27 south on-ramp.
Police say they are not sure why the driver, identified Javad Naqizade, of Dallas, TX, began traveling north from the Coventry rest area.
Naqizade was subsequently placed under arrest for suspicion of grossly negligent operation and processed at the VSP Derby Barracks.
The vehicle, determined to be loaded, was removed from the scene by Ray’s Auto.
