Wrong-Way Driver Charged With DWI In I-195 Chase In Howell: VIDEO

HOWELL, NJ — A New Jersey woman has been charged with driving while intoxicated after her wrong-way trip on Interstate 195 Monday evening caused a number of near-misses but no injuries, police said Tuesday. A video below shows the wild drive.

Kara Miklas, 25, of Sewell, was charged with driving while intoxicated, eluding and several motor vehicle violations and released pending a court appearance, Howell Lt. John Yurgel said Tuesday.

Video of the event was captured by one motorist who shared it with 6ABC in Philadelphia. It shows the car speeding along westbound on the innermost lane of the eastbound lanes.

Yurgel said Howell police were called about 6:50 p.m. about the 2007 Toyota Yaris traveling west in the eastbound lanes. Lt. Joseph Markulic got on I-195 east at Route 9, first blocking traffic to keep it at a safe distance from the approaching car. Cpl. Scott Brooks and Patrolman Sean MacDonald assisted in stopping traffic while Markulic went to try to stop the driver, Yurgel said.

Motorists relayed accounts of their encounters with the car.

Ed Zawistowski of Howell, who was eastbound in the left lane, said a police officer pulled up in the other lane "with sirens and waving his hand out the window."

"(I was) thinking 'that's odd, never seen that before.' " Zawistowski looked up just in time to see the car coming at him. "That distance closes QUICKLY. I just swerved into right lane ... may have (cut) someone off ... I hope they forgave me."

A woman who encountered the wrong-way car said she was headed east "and as I turned around a bend this girl was coming at me head on! Thank god the guy next to me hit his brakes and let me over with half a second to spare. It was insane!"

Miklas traveled at least 10 miles westbound in the eastbound lanes, said Anthony B. Ferrara of Howell, who witnessed the incident.

"I was praying she didn't hit anyone," he said. "Well, actually I wasn't praying, I was cursing a lot when she got close to oncoming cars."

"There was a slow-moving cop on the westbound side nearer to the Route 18 exit. But my only warning was a few people swerving off the road in front of me. It was nuts," another woman said.

Ferrara said the tires on the vehicle were flat, and that police stopped her, but she took off again before she finally stopped. "One of her rims had no tire," another woman posted.

Yurgel said Markulic tried to stop Miklas's car but she made an evasive maneuver and kept going. Markulic followed and he and other emergency vehicles again tried to stop her, but after yielding briefly Miklas took off again.

She was finally stopped 100 yards later after she was boxed in with the help of a Lakewood fire chief who was in his marked chief's vehicle with his emergency lights going, Yurgel said. Miklas refused to get out of the car and had to be physically removed, he said.

Yurgel said that in addition to the Lakewood fire chief, Wall Township police and New Jersey State Police assisted.

"(The police officers) saved lives today," Ferrara said. "They did a spectacular job stopping the oncoming traffic from getting hit."

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