Female Driver Falls Asleep while Driving, Tells Police she 'Sniffed fentanyl'

Niagara Falls Police were on routine patrol on Niagara Falls Boulevard around 8:30pm on March 30th when officers observed a driver crossing over the center line into the northbound lane while traveling east.

The female driver then changed lanes without signaling and attempted to make a right-hand turn onto 56th Street, almost striking another vehicle. She then continued driving in the middle of the roadway causing other vehicles to swerve around her.

The driver then approached a stop sign at the intersection of 56th Street and Buffalo Avenue. She was in the left lane waiting to make a left-hand turn. However, she did not drive when the light changed. The car remained idle.

At this time, officers pulled next to the vehicle and observed the driver to be passed out behind the wheel. Officers notified dispatch and requested medical to respond.

Officers attempted to open the passenger-side door but it was locked due to the vehicle still being in drive. More police arrived on scene and the officer was advised to make entry into the vehicle, which he did by striking the passenger side front window with an expandable baton. This shattered the window.

Once the window broken, the driver woke up and attempted to start to drive the vehicle. The officer reached inside the door and unlocked the vehicle and then leaned in and put the vehicle in park. He removed the keys so that the driver could not restart the vehicle.

Officers asked the driver to exit the vehicle and walk over to the sidewalk. Officers placed her through standardized field sobriety testing, all of which he failed.

She was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. The female refused to give a breath or blood sample, stating that she did “sniff fentanyl” before operating the vehicle.

The driver was also found to be driving the vehicle on a revoked license for a prior DWI conviction in 2022.

She was transported to police headquarters for booking and processing where she awaited arraignment.

No further information is available at this time.

Female Driver Falls Asleep while Driving, Tells Police she 'Sniffed fentanyl'