PEABODY, MA— A wrong-way crash early Sunday on Route 1 injured a Massachusetts State Police trooper and the allegedly intoxicated driver, Lucas Gustavo Brajak DeAlmeida DiBenedetto, 41, of Newburyport.
Shortly before 2 a.m., a trooper spotted DiBenedetto's vehicle traveling south in the northbound lane and alerted other officers. Minutes later, the vehicle struck the marked cruiser. Both DiBenedetto and the trooper were hospitalized but have since been released.
DiBenedetto was charged with operating under the influence and negligent driving. He was scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him at Peabody District Court before the hearing, according to the Essex County District Attorney's Office.
Witnesses reported seeing ICE agents waiting for DiBenedetto due to his immigration status. A default warrant was issued for his arrest should he be released back into U.S. custody. Authorities emphasize that this complicates the judicial process for state courts.
Governor Maura Healey condemned the incident, stating, “Somebody like this, driving drunk, he should be held fully accountable.”
At the crash scene, DiBenedetto admitted to consuming two beers at a local establishment and exhibited signs of intoxication, leading to his arrest.
This incident follows a recent tragedy involving another trooper, Kevin Trainor, who died in a similar incident on Route 1 earlier this month, drawing attention to the risks associated with wrong-way driving.