State Police arrest made in fatal crash that shut down Thruway in...

On November 5, 2024, at about State Police of Troop T, SP Albany responded to the reports of a commercial vehicle crash on I-90 in Rotterdam, NY.

On November 5, 2024, at about 10:14 p.m., Troopers from Troop T, SP Albany, and Troop G, SP Princetown Investigators responded to a two commercial vehicle crash on I-90 westbound, west of exit 25A in Rotterdam, NY. The investigation determined both tractor-trailers were traveling westbound when one vehicle, being operated by a driver from Canada, crashed into the rear of the other. The Canadian driver was declared deceased at the scene. The other vehicle's driver has been identified as Manuel E. Aristyarias, 59, of Passaic, NJ.

Aristyarias cooperated with the investigation and was transported to SP Latham for further investigation. Following a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) evaluation, a sample was collected from Aristyarias to determine the drug content of his blood. He was arrested and processed for Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs. Aristyarias was issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Rotterdam Town Court on December 2, 2024, and released.

I-90 westbound was closed between exits 25 and 26 until approximately 5:45 a.m. on November 6, 2024, for the investigation and vehicle removal.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. The name of the deceased will not be released until family notifications are made.