Wrong-Way Drunken Driver Found Guilty In Crash That Killed 2

SOMERS, NY — After a four-week bench trial, a Somers man was found guilty of causing the deaths of two Ardsley residents in a wrong-way, head-on collision.

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said Jaime Paucar, 52, of Somers, was found guilty Monday by a judge of two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault, all felonies.

He was also found guilty of third-degree assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting property damage and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting personal injury, all misdemeanors.

Paucar was acquitted of two counts of second-degree murder, Rocah said.

Around 8:30 p.m. Jan. 20, 2020, Paucar drove west in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 287 in Harrison when he crashed head-on into the car driven by 57-year-old Jordan Wachtell, whose 17-year-old son and two teenage friends were passengers. They are all from Ardsley.

A Westchester County toxicologist determined that Paucar had a blood alcohol content of 0.24 percent at the time of the collision.

Wachtell died at the scene. One of his passengers — Eric Goldberg, 17 — was taken to Westchester Medical Center where he died later that night.

Wachtell's son and the other surviving passenger were also taken to the medical center where they were treated for their injuries.

As detailed during the trial, prior to the fatal crash, Paucar was driving in the correct direction on I-287 when he crashed into a vehicle, fled the scene, exited the highway and went to a parking lot in Port Chester.

After that, while trying to drive home, he missed the entrance to I-287 and drove on several side streets before using an exit ramp to get to the interstate, ignoring signage and at least three motorists who warned him he was driving the wrong way.

Paucar drove west in the eastbound lanes for more than 2 miles, sideswiping three additional vehicles before the fatal crash.

New York State Police arrested Paucar in March 2020 after a thorough investigation.

Rocah said, for the first time in Westchester, her office determined that the facts of the case warranted murder charges for the deaths caused by a drunk driver.

"While we are disappointed that the Court did not render a guilty verdict for those charges," she said, "we respect the Court's decision."

Rocah said her thoughts are with the victims and their families.

"Jaime Paucar's behavior blazed a path of devastation and destruction that caused two families to suffer immeasurable heartache," she said, adding that she hopes the multiple guilty verdicts provide them some degree of justice.