Casey Nelson

A Buffalo man is facing a number of charges after being nabbed for driving the wrong way on the New York State Thruway.

Deputies charged 31-year-old Casey Nelson of Buffalo after he was stopped on Interstate 90. At approximately 3:30 a.m. Sunday, a deputy observed a vehicle traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 190 in Grand Island. The deputy attempted to catch up to the vehicle but lost sight near to Interstate 290 and Interstate 190 interchange.

The vehicle was spotted, still in the southbound lanes, by a deputy heading north on I-190 near Ontario Street, but deputies lost sight of the vehicle at the I-190 and I-90 interchange.

A patrol Explorer continued west on the Thruway and visually acquired the suspect near the Eden rest stop. There the operator made a U-turn and headed east on the Thruway.

Deputies brought the pursuit to a safe end near the Camp Road exit in the Town of Hamburg. The deputies observed multiple signs of impairment, and a breath test indicated a BAC level more than twice the legal limit.

Nelson was charged with a felony count of reckless endangerment and misdemeanor counts of reckless driving, DWI, and operating a vehicle with a BAC of .08% or higher. The Sheriff’s Office is filing additional charges in the various jurisdictions through which Nelson traveled.

Nelson was taken to the Erie County Holding Center and was later released following his arraignment in Hamburg court.