What Happened
A driver was arrested on a DWI charge somewhere on Long Island on Sunday, September 13, 2026. The arresting agency has not confirmed the location, the time of the stop, the driver’s name, or the specific charge level as of this report.
The incident was logged with a severity classification of major. No injuries, fatalities, or road closures have been confirmed in connection with this arrest.
Long Island Traffic will update this report when the arresting agency — whether the Nassau County Police Department, the Suffolk County Police Department, or New York State Police — releases a formal press statement with names, charges, and court dates.
What This DWI Charge Means
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1192 establishes three impairment thresholds. A driver with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.07 faces a charge of Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI), a traffic infraction rather than a criminal charge, carrying a fine of $300–$500 and a 90-day license suspension on a first offense. A BAC of 0.08 or higher triggers a misdemeanor DWI charge under VTL §1192.2, with first-offense penalties of a $500–$1,000 fine, a minimum six-month license revocation, and up to one year in jail. A BAC of 0.18 or higher elevates the charge to Aggravated DWI under VTL §1192.2-a, raising the fine ceiling to $2,500 and triggering a mandatory one-year revocation on a first offense.
Repeat offenses carry substantially steeper consequences. A second DWI conviction within 10 years is a class E felony, with fines up to $5,000 and a maximum four-year prison term. New York also mandates ignition interlock device installation for any DWI or Aggravated DWI conviction, including first offenses. Drivers who refuse a chemical breath test face an automatic one-year license revocation under New York’s implied consent law, plus a $500 civil penalty, regardless of whether they are convicted of any criminal charge.
Case Status & Updates
The charge filed in this case is an accusation. The person arrested is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Once arraigned, the case will proceed through the local New York district court — either Nassau County District Court in Hempstead or Suffolk County District Court in Central Islip, depending on where the arrest occurred — and continue through the Long Island criminal court system.
Long Island Traffic tracks DWI cases through the courts and updates each report with arraignment outcomes, pleas, and sentencing results as they become part of the public record. Check back on this page for case developments.