Four arrested on Thruway after passenger threw pound of cocaine from car

New York State Police arrested four people on the New York State Thruway after a passenger tossed a bag of drugs from a moving vehicle. The stop took place in the town of Newburgh on October 26, 2026.

Troopers from State Police Newburgh and the Troop F Bureau of Criminal Investigation initiated the stop at 1:03 p.m. They observed a 2016 Hyundai traveling northbound in violation of traffic laws. Before the vehicle came to a halt in the parking lot of the Plattekill Service Area, a passenger threw a plastic bag onto the ground. Field tests confirmed the contents were cocaine. The bag held approximately 544 grams of the substance.

Police identified the driver as Junaid A. Khan, 28, of Peru, New York. The passengers were Phillip Earl Preyear, 29, of Jersey City, New Jersey; Katelynn Goheens, 36, of Plattsburgh, New York; and Kassie E. King, 32, of Plattsburgh, New York. All four were taken into custody and transported to SP Montgomery for processing.

Prosecutors charged all four with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, a felony. Each also faced a felony charge for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree with intent to sell. Khan received additional charges for vehicle and traffic law violations. Preyear was charged with tampering with physical evidence, a felony. Goheens faced an additional misdemeanor charge for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree.

The defendants appeared in Newburgh Town Court for arraignment. The court remanded all four to the Orange County Jail. They are scheduled to return to Newburgh Town Court on November 10, 2026.

The Troop F Violent Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team assisted in the investigation. The arrest marked a felony drug seizure on the interstate corridor.