What Happened
A Bay Shore father and son both pleaded guilty on July 9, 2026, in connection with a fatal drunk-driving crash on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa that killed a 48-year-old man and left his wife with permanent injuries — a case made especially stark by prosecutors’ finding that the father had been serving the underage son alcohol in the car immediately before the collision.
According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, as reported by LongIsland.com, the crash occurred on April 19, 2025, at approximately 9:03 p.m. Brian August — then 19, now 20 — was driving a 2023 Bentley eastbound on Sunrise Highway when he was stopped at a red light in the left turning lane at Unqua Road. Without warning, August abruptly turned right, cutting across the eastbound lanes of traffic, and struck a Polaris Slingshot being driven by Willie Singleton, 48, who had his wife riding in the passenger seat. The Slingshot was traveling lawfully in the eastbound lanes at the time of impact.
The force of the collision ejected Singleton from the Polaris Slingshot into another car stopped at the red light near Unqua Road. He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 9:46 p.m. — roughly 43 minutes after the crash. Singleton’s wife sustained serious injuries to her hips and legs, requiring emergency surgery. A rod was surgically implanted into her leg. She continues to suffer lasting consequences and frequently must use a wheelchair or walker.
Blood drawn from August approximately four hours after the crash revealed a Blood Alcohol Content that supported the Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated Per Se charge — a finding consistent with New York’s Aggravated DWI threshold of 0.18% BAC or higher. Prosecutors say that, prior to the crash, August’s father, Brian Kitchen, 43, was in the vehicle and poured and served shots of liquor to his son, who was underage at the time.
Before Nassau County Judge Terence P. Murphy, according to LongIsland.com, August pleaded guilty to four counts: Aggravated Vehicular Homicide (a B felony); Manslaughter in the Second Degree (a C felony); Assault in the Second Degree (a D violent felony); and Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated Per Se (an unclassified misdemeanor). Kitchen pleaded guilty to one count of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, a D felony.
DA Donnelly did not mince words in her statement: “As a parent, it is inconceivable to me that a father could be so reckless and careless as to pour and serve his underage, teenage son shots of liquor while driving. Make no mistake, Brian August made the decision to drive drunk and was behind the wheel when he struck and killed Willie Singleton, but his father, Brian Kitchen, also failed his son and the Singletons that night. Now both father and son will be heading to jail for their selfish and reckless choices as Willie’s wife, also seriously injured in the crash, continues to suffer the pain of losing her husband in one sudden, horrific moment.”
Location & Road Context
The crash took place at the intersection of Sunrise Highway and Unqua Road in Massapequa, a heavily trafficked stretch of one of Long Island’s primary east-west arterials. Sunrise Highway carries significant commuter and commercial traffic through Nassau County, and the Unqua Road intersection sits in a dense residential and commercial corridor. Long Island Traffic’s database records 897 incidents on this road corridor, including multiple recent crashes — among them a moderate crash on NY-27 on July 5, 2026, and a minor crash on July 3, 2026 — underscoring the persistent danger on this route.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Both defendants are scheduled to return to court before Judge Terence P. Murphy on September 24, 2026, for sentencing. Brian August is expected to receive a prison term of 4½ to 12 years; the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office has recommended a harsher sentence of 7 to 15 years. Brian Kitchen is expected to be sentenced to one year’s incarceration, as announced by DA Donnelly’s office via LongIsland.com.
The case was prosecuted by the Nassau County District Attorney under DA Anne T. Donnelly. The Aggravated Vehicular Homicide charge — a B felony, among the most serious classifications under New York law for DWI-related deaths — reflects both the elevated BAC and the resulting fatality. Kitchen’s D felony Reckless Endangerment conviction is notable as a rare instance of criminal liability being extended to a third party who facilitated a driver’s intoxication.
What This DWI Charge Means
Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1192, driving while impaired by alcohol (DWAI) begins at a BAC of 0.05–0.07%, while standard DWI requires a BAC of 0.08% or higher. Aggravated DWI — the charge August faced — applies when a driver’s BAC reaches 0.18% or above, or when a child is present in the vehicle. First-offense Aggravated DWI carries fines of $1,000–$2,500, up to one year in jail, and mandatory license revocation for at least one year, plus a required ignition interlock device upon restoration. When an Aggravated DWI results in death, as it did here, it can form the basis of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide — a B felony — which carries a potential sentence of up to 25 years in state prison.
Refusing a chemical test (breathalyzer or blood draw) in New York triggers an automatic one-year license revocation and a $500 civil penalty under the state’s implied consent law, entirely independent of any criminal charge. That revocation stands even if the driver is ultimately acquitted. For drivers who cause fatal crashes while intoxicated, the combination of criminal sentencing, civil liability, and permanent DMV record consequences is severe and lasting.
Case Status & Updates
Both Brian August and Brian Kitchen have entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing on September 24, 2026. It is important to note that while guilty pleas have been entered in this case, the final sentence has not yet been imposed, and the record will be updated when sentencing is completed. Long Island Traffic tracks DWI cases through the Nassau and Suffolk County court systems and updates each report with arraignment outcomes, pleas, and sentencing as they enter the public record. Readers with information about this or related incidents on Sunrise Highway can submit tips through our incident reporting tool.