Police Track Down Driver In Manchester Wrong-Way Highway Crash

MANCHESTER, CT — State police have made an arrest in connection with a Wednesday wrong-way driving incident on Interstate 384.

At 5:28 p.m. Wednesday, state police at the Troop H barracks were alerted to a hit-and-run crash on I-384 westbound in the area of Exit 4 in Manchester.

The fleeing vehicle was described as a gray pickup truck and the caller was able to provide troopers with the Connecticut registration plate displayed on its bumper, according to a state police report. Troopers were also told the pickup was headed the wrong way when it hit a 2013 Toyota Camry driven b y an 82-year-old Manchester woman, according to the report.

A short time later, Manchester police located the truck — a 1998 Chevrolet S10 — on Candlewood Drive in Manchester, about a half-mile away from the accident scene, the report indicates.

The driver of the compact pickup was identified as 35-year-old William Gerlack, of Manchester, who consented to and then failed field sobriety tests, according to the report.

During a subsequent search, police located on Gerlack a plastic bag containing suspected Xanax pills, according to the report.

Gerlack was processed at Troop H in Hartford, where he was charged with the following:

• Evading a motor vehicle accident
• Driving the wrong way
• Operating a motor vehicle without a license
• Possession of a controlled substance
• Driving under the influence

State police said Gerlack was released on a $25,000 cash/surety bond and is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 3 in Manchester Superior Court.

Reports indicate that the driver of the Camry was "possibly" injured.