A wrong-way driver on the Tappan Zee Bridge slammed into an oncoming vehicle, killing a passenger and sparking a five-car pileup that closed the northbound lanes of the state Thruway for hours, New York State Police said yesterday.

Several people, including the wrong-way driver, were injured in the Tuesday-night crash and taken to hospitals, police said. There were no immediate arrests.

Police said they had received a report of a driver going south on the northbound lanes of the bridge at 8:51 p.m., just seconds before they heard about the crash.

The wrong-way driver was identified as Michael Schechel, 69. His Ford SUV crashed head-on into a Nissan in which Hannah Ayeh-Brachie, 56, was a passenger. The Nissan rolled over several times and landed on its roof in the middle lane, police said. Ayeh-Brachie was pronounced dead at the scene.