Loaded gun found during I-84 stop leads to arrests in Newburgh

A routine traffic stop on westbound Interstate 84 in the town of Newburgh turned into a weapons arrest after New York State Police said troopers found a loaded Ruger SR40C .40-caliber handgun inside a 2016 Dodge.

Troopers said the stop happened at about 7:49 p.m. on May 22, 2026, after members of the Troop F Community Stabilization Unit and the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit observed multiple Vehicle and Traffic Law violations. The driver was identified as Gary D. Price, 52, of Poughkeepsie, and the passenger was identified as Taleatha Thomas, 46, of Irvington, New Jersey.

According to State Police, K-9 Kell conducted an exterior sniff of the vehicle and produced a positive alert. Troopers then searched the Dodge and recovered the loaded handgun. The stop took place on I-84, one of Orange County’s busiest travel corridors, where traffic enforcement can quickly shift from a paperwork violation to a public-safety case with broader implications for commuters and nearby communities.

Price and Thomas were both charged with Criminal Possession of a Firearm and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd Degree. Those charges place the case at the felony level, reflecting the seriousness of officers finding a loaded weapon during a roadside stop in Newburgh.

After arraignment at the Orange County Central Arraignment Part, Price was remanded to Orange County Jail. Thomas was released on her own recognizance and is due back for a future court date. The arrests add another law-enforcement note to the stretch of I-84 that links Newburgh with the rest of the Hudson Valley, where state troopers regularly use traffic stops to look for more than speeders and registration violations.

State Police said the investigation began with observed traffic infractions and ended with a firearm recovery, two arrests and a felony case now moving through Orange County’s court system.