On Saturday, 03/08/25 at approximately 1:33 AM, a Trooper assigned to Troop H- Hartford was patrolling I-84 westbound in Southington when they were passed on the right by a BMW 430i traveling at an extremely high rate of speed. It was at this point that the BMW quickly cut across from the right lane to the left lane, directly in the Trooper's path of travel. The Trooper then observed that the BMW continued to pass other traffic, utilizing all three travel lanes. As the Trooper began to clock the vehicle's speed, the vehicle was also observed to accelerate rapidly with open stretches of roadway free of surrounding traffic. It was at this time that the Trooper observed the vehicle reach speeds of up to 119 mph.
The Trooper activated their emergency lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop, to which the operator complied and pulled over near exit 31. Once safely stopped, the Trooper made contact with the operator who was positively identified as Amanda Offerdahl (DOB 02/20/98), of Cheshire. Upon asking Offerdahl why she was driving so fast, Offerdahl explained that she was just having fun, could not afford to be on a racetrack and wanted to see what her car could do. While speaking with Offerdahl, the Trooper began to observe clear signs of impairment, to include the odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from within the vehicle and bloodshot eyes. Offerdahl explained that she was heading home from a bar and admitted to drinking prior to driving.
Based upon these observations, Offerdahl was requested to submit to Standardized Field Sobriety Testing. Offerdahl agreed to submit to testing and subsequently failed. Offerdahl was arrested without incident and transported to Troop H, where she was processed on the following charges:
CGS 14-222; Reckless Driving
CGS 14-227a; Illegal Operation of a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs
CGS 14-236; Failure to Maintain Proper Lane- Limited Access Highway
Offerdahl was later released from custody on a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear at New Britain Superior Court on 04/07/25. Please see the attached criminal information summary.
