BEDFORD — A collision at a busy downtown intersection on Friday evening resulted in the arrest of a driver on multiple operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) charges after he allegedly drove the wrong way down a one-way street.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Officer A. Manke of the Bedford Police Department, officers responded to a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of 16th Street and M Street at approximately 7:06 p.m. on June 26, 2026.
Nithyananthan Ganesan, 40, who is listed as homeless and identified by his Malaysian passport, faces preliminary charges of OWI and OWI Endangerment.
Upon arriving at the scene, responding officers observed two damaged gray vehicles in the middle of the intersection. Officer Jones, who arrived to assist with traffic control, noted that he was already familiar with Ganesan from previous interactions as a police officer.
The driver of the second vehicle stated he was driving a silver 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis southbound on M Street with his wife and their 2-year-old child. The male driver advised that he had a green light and was proceeding through the intersection when his vehicle was struck by a brown 2018 Buick Envision driven by Ganesan.
Witnesses at the scene, including an employee at the nearby Domino’s Pizza, confirmed seeing Ganesan’s vehicle traveling westbound on 16th Street between L and M streets—a section of roadway designated strictly for eastbound traffic. Another motorist who stopped at the light described the incident as a slow-moving, head-on collision.
The male driver and his family denied needing medical evaluation by IU Health personnel at the scene. Both vehicles sustained disabling damage and had to be towed from the intersection by local wreckers. Police later located the registered owner of the Buick at a local motel to obtain insurance information.
While interacting with Ganesan at the scene, officers noted that he had glassy eyes, slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, and was struggling to maintain his balance. When questioned, Ganesan initially admitted to drinking a six-pack of beer roughly an hour and a half prior to the crash.
Due to active rainfall, Ganesan agreed to be placed in handcuffs and transported to the Bedford Police Department station to conduct Standardized Field Sobriety Tests in a controlled, dry environment.
According to the affidavit, Ganesan proved uncooperative during the testing process:
- Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN): Ganesan repeatedly failed to follow instructions, moving his entire head instead of just his eyes to track the stimulus. The test had to be terminated early due to a lack of cooperation.
- Walk and Turn (WAT): Officers observed multiple clues of impairment, noting that Ganesan could not keep his balance, used his arms for stability, took the wrong number of steps, and stopped entirely while walking.
- One Leg Stand (OLS): Ganesan exhibited swaying, hopping, and dropped his foot repeatedly. In the middle of the test, he switched feet and had to brace himself against the wall to prevent a fall. This test was also stopped early out of concern for his physical safety.
After being read his Miranda warnings, Ganesan revised his initial statement, admitting that he had actually consumed six bottles of ultra-light beer alongside two large cans of Modelo beer before getting behind the wheel.
Ganesan consented to a preliminary breath test, which registered a positive alpha-numeric reading of 0.142. A subsequent certified breath test administered at the station by a certified operator using an Intox EC/IR-II machine revealed a final blood alcohol concentration of 0.136 g/210L—well above Indiana’s legal driving limit of 0.08.
Following the completion of the booking process, Ganesan was transported to the Lawrence County Jail, where he was remanded to the custody of the Lawrence County Sheriff.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
