"Unresponsive" Thruway Driver DWI Arrest in Westchester County

If it's been said once it's been said a thousand times, there's ZERO excuse or reason to be behind the wheel of a vehicle under any circumstance if one has indulged in a few to many alcoholic beverages. Despite that, law enforcement throughout New York State has had more than their fair share of encounters with under the influence and impaired drivers.

Unresponsive DWI in Pelham

One of these latest DWI encounters for law enforcement came back on September 5, 2025, when State Troopers from Troop T responded to the incident on the New York State Thruway, in the the town of Pelham.

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According to the press release issued by the New York State Police, it was approximately 11:19p.m, when Troopers were dispatched and responded to reports of an "unresponsive male" in a 2013 Chevrolet in the northbound lane, an active work zone.

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Troopers on scene were forced to break the rear passenger window to gain access to the vehicle, however in that effort, the driver of the vehicle woke up, put the vehicle in drive and nearly struck one of the Troopers. The vehicle would come to a stop roughly 200 feet away from the scene and afterwards, Troopers removed the driver from the vehicle.

Thruway DWI Arrest

Troopers were able to confirm the identity of the driver as 27-year old, Ramiro Efrain Tarcoguaman, of New Jersey. One of the Troopers on scene reportedly observed clear indicators of impairment and issued a roadside preliminary breath test. The results of that breath test determined that Tarcoguaman was two times the legal limit.

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From there, Troopers placed Tarcoguaman under arrest and charged him with Aggravated DWI. Tarcoguaman was then transported to State Police barracks in New Rochelle for processing, where he provided another breath sample that registered 0.19 percent.