- Gabriel Alexander Markaj, 19, drove southbound in the northbound lanes of I-75 and collided with another vehicle near mile marker 387.
- Markaj was arrested with breath alcohol levels of 0.190 and 0.176 and cited for DUI, driving wrong way, and possessing an altered ID.
A 19-year-old Orlando man was arrested early Monday after allegedly driving the wrong way on Interstate 75 and colliding with another vehicle.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) release, troopers responded at approximately 2:27 a.m. on Monday to a two-vehicle crash on northbound I-75 near mile marker 387.
The investigation determined that the vehicle, driven by Gabriel Alexander Markaj, 19, was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of I-75 and weaving across multiple lanes before the crash.
The second vehicle was traveling northbound in the center lane when its driver attempted to evade Markaj’s vehicle by changing lanes and steering left. Despite those efforts, Markaj’s vehicle continued toward the second vehicle and struck its right rear with the front right of the vehicle.
Following the collision, Markaj’s vehicle came to rest facing southbound in the left northbound travel lane of I-75, with front-right damage. The second vehicle rotated clockwise and came to rest partially blocking the northbound off-ramp to State Road 26, facing south.
The driver of the second vehicle provided dash camera footage to troopers for evidentiary review.
Before the crash, troopers had received reports of a wrong-way driver on I-75 and issued a BOLO, or “be on the lookout,” alert for the vehicle involved.
Markaj was arrested and transported to the Alachua County Jail, where he provided two breath samples registering 0.190 and 0.176, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
He was cited for the following violations:
- Driving on the wrong side of a divided highway, Florida Statutes 316.090(1).
- DUI with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or higher, Florida Statutes 316.193(4).
- Unauthorized use or possession of an altered driver’s license or identification card, Florida Statutes 322.212(5)(b).
- DUI involving property damage or personal injury, Florida Statutes 316.193(3)(c)1.