ALACHUA COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A 19-year-old Orlando man was arrested and charged with multiple crimes including driving under the influence after causing a collision while traveling in the wrong direction on I-75 early Monday morning.
According to an announcement, Florida Highway Patrol troopers received reports of a wrong-way driver on I-75 in Alachua County in the early morning hours of Monday, September 14, 2026. A BOLO (Be On the Lookout) was issued for the vehicle described.
At approximately 2:27 a.m. Monday morning, the FHP responded to a two-vehicle crash on northbound I-75 near mile marker 382.
Arriving on the scene, troopers noted one vehicle resting in the left lane of northbound I-75, facing south and displaying damage to its right front; another vehicle partially blocked the off-ramp to SR 26, and displayed damage to its right rear.
Investigators determined that the first vehicle had been traveling southbound recklessly in the northbound lanes of the interstate before striking the second, which had been traveling northbound in the correct direction of traffic and tried to evade the wrong-way vehicle before being struck.
The driver of the struck vehicle provided dashcam footage of the incident to the troopers.
Gabriel Alexander Markaj, the driver of the vehicle headed southbound in the northbound lanes, was arrested and transported the Alachua County Jail. Breathalyzer samples taken at the jail registered blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of .190 and .176. The threshold for driving under the influence in the State of Florida is .08.
Markaj was cited for DUI–Alcohol .150 or higher, DUI–Property Damage/Personal Injury, Driving on Wrong Side of Divided Highway, and Unauthorized Use/Possession of Altered Driver License or ID Card.
No serious injuries to any party involved in the incident were noted in the FHP announcement.