A Western New York man is facing driving while intoxicated charges after New York State Police say he crashed into multiple vehicles, including a marked patrol car, during an investigation of an earlier crash on Interstate 190.
According to State Police, troopers from Troop T arrested 34-year-old James Phalen of Alden following the incident Wednesday evening in the Town of Tonawanda.
Troopers were initially dispatched at approximately 7:20 p.m. to a one-vehicle property damage crash on the southbound lanes of I-190 near milepost 13.9.
While a responding trooper was outside a marked State Police Dodge Charger with its emergency lights activated, investigators say a 2014 Dodge Ram pulling a dolly trailer, allegedly driven by Phalen, struck a 2007 Ford Focus. The impact pushed the Ford into the marked State Police vehicle, which was then forced into a 2025 Dodge Charger that troopers had been investigating from the original crash.
State Police say the Dodge Ram eventually came to rest on the right shoulder of the highway.
Investigators say the trooper saw the collision unfolding and was able to avoid being struck by jumping over the concrete median barrier into the northbound lanes.
Phalen was not injured in the crash. He was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated and issued additional vehicle and traffic citations.
Police say Phalen refused to submit to a chemical test at the State Police barracks in Buffalo. He was issued appearance tickets and released.
The investigation remains ongoing.
