HARTFORD, Conn. -- It ended peacefully, but it was a situation that could have led to carnage on a highway early Saturday morning: a speeding tractor-trailer running from police on the wrong side of a Connecticut highway.

Even more bizarre, police said the trucker was nude from the waist down. And police found an open can of beer in the cab.

The 18-wheeler --registered to a New Jersey trucking company -- got stuck on a street divider in Newington, Conn., after a wild half-hour police chase through four towns.

Police said the driver was Steven Reed (pictured, left), 44, of Portland, Maine.

The sometimes-high-speed half-hour pursuit started in Hartford, through Wethersfield and Newington, into West Hartford and back into Newington.

Officers didn't know where Reed drove onto the highway, but Hartford police Lt. Patrick Jobes said it was clear that Reed posed a great danger to others. Jobes took up pursuit of the wrong-way truck.

"It's a very, very hazardous, very dangerous situation. So, I turned my car around, activated my lights and sirens to alert other motorists that were going to be oncoming into his path," said Jobes.

Jobes said Reed drove into a parking lot in West Hartford, did a U-turn, rammed a Newington police cruiser and sped away. The officer in the cruiser was unhurt.

Police said the chase ended after Reed's truck got stuck on a median. Reed then jumped out of the truck half naked, but was tackled by police.

Officers allowed Reed to put his pants back on before putting him in a cruiser.

Reed will be arraigned Monday morning and faces a long list of charges, including driving under the influence.