Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A Hempstead man has been sentenced to up to nine years in prison following a wrong-way drunken driving crash on the Long Island Expressway that left another motorist with serious injuries, according to a report by Long Island Life & Politics. Jorge Arias Reyes, 50, was behind the wheel of a 2009 Honda Odyssey traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of the LIE near Exit 37 in Roslyn at approximately 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 18, 2025 — a scenario that prosecutors described as staggeringly reckless.
Before the crash reached its most violent conclusion, Reyes had already sideswiped at least one other vehicle while traveling the wrong way for several miles, Long Island Life & Politics reports. He ultimately collided head-on with a 2014 Toyota Prius driven by a 51-year-old victim. The force of that frontal collision caused serious physical harm to the innocent driver and sent both individuals to the same hospital.
The 51-year-old victim was transported to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, where medical staff treated a fractured tibia and a dislocated hip — significant, life-altering injuries that will require considerable recovery time. Reyes himself was also transported to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset to receive treatment for his own injuries sustained in the crash.
Members of the Nassau County Police Department arrested Reyes at approximately 7:25 a.m. — roughly 25 minutes after he first entered the wrong-way lanes. Blood drawn from Reyes at the hospital revealed a blood alcohol content of .26%, more than three times New York’s legal BAC limit of .08%. That level of intoxication places him squarely in the category of Aggravated DWI under state law, a threshold reached at .18%.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly issued a pointed statement following the sentencing. “It’s a miracle no lives were lost in this crash, and this is exactly the type of recklessness our office warns against so frequently,” Donnelly said, as quoted by Long Island Life & Politics. “Driving under the influence is a serious crime with serious consequences, and Mr. Reyes will spend the next several years behind bars reflecting on his criminal actions. I once again urge residents not to make a life-altering choice by drinking and driving.”
Reyes pleaded guilty in April before Judge Howard Sturim to three counts: Aggravated Vehicular Assault, a Class C felony; Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony; and Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, Per Se, an unclassified misdemeanor. On June 12, 2026, Judge Sturim sentenced Reyes to five to nine years in state prison.
Location & Road Context
The crash occurred on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 37, which serves Roslyn in Nassau County. This stretch of the LIE is a high-volume, high-speed corridor connecting central and western Nassau County, carrying tens of thousands of vehicles each day in both directions. At 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, traffic would have been lighter than on a weekday, but vehicles traveling eastbound at highway speeds would have had limited time to react to a wrong-way driver approaching head-on. The Roslyn area sits near the Nassau-Queens county line, making the LIE at this location a critical artery for commuters and commercial drivers alike.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Reyes was charged with Aggravated Vehicular Assault (Class C felony), Assault in the Second Degree (Class D violent felony), and Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, Per Se (unclassified misdemeanor), according to Long Island Life & Politics. He pleaded guilty to all three counts in April before Nassau County Judge Howard Sturim. His sentencing on June 12, 2026, resulted in a term of five to nine years in state prison — a sentence reflecting the Class C felony conviction, which carries the heaviest weight among the charges.
The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, under DA Anne Donnelly, prosecuted the case. The blood draw conducted at North Shore University Hospital provided the key forensic evidence, establishing Reyes’s BAC at .26% — a figure that supported both the Aggravated DWI charge and the broader felony assault counts tied to his level of impairment. The Nassau County Police Department handled the arrest and initial investigation.
What This DWI Charge Means
New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law §1192 establishes several tiers of impaired driving offenses. Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) applies when a driver’s ability is impaired by alcohol but their BAC falls below .08%. Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) applies at .08% BAC or higher. Aggravated DWI — the charge Reyes faced — applies when a driver’s BAC reaches .18% or above, and it carries significantly harsher penalties. At .26%, Reyes was nearly at three and a half times the standard DWI threshold, putting him deep into Aggravated DWI territory. Even a first-offense Aggravated DWI in New York can result in fines up to $2,500, a mandatory minimum one-year license revocation, and up to one year in jail. When aggravated DWI is combined with felony assault charges — as it was here — the sentencing range escalates dramatically, as Reyes’s five-to-nine-year term demonstrates.
New York also imposes mandatory ignition interlock device requirements on convicted DWI offenders, meaning that even after release, Reyes would be subject to court-ordered restrictions on any vehicle he operates. Repeat offenders face accelerated penalties including permanent license revocation in some circumstances. Separately, New York’s implied consent law means that drivers who refuse a chemical test face an automatic one-year license revocation and a $500 civil penalty, independent of any criminal charges — a consequence that applies whether or not the driver is ultimately convicted.
When a DWI results in serious physical injury to another person, New York law allows prosecutors to pursue Vehicular Assault charges, which carry felony-level consequences. In Reyes’s case, the combination of a .26% BAC, several miles of wrong-way driving, an initial sideswiping of one vehicle, and a head-on collision with a second vehicle provided the factual predicate for both the Class C Aggravated Vehicular Assault charge and the Class D Assault conviction. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office treated this case as a clear example of why elevated DWI charges and serious prison sentences exist under New York law.
Case Status & Updates
Jorge Arias Reyes has been sentenced. He pleaded guilty in April 2026 before Nassau County Judge Howard Sturim and received a determinate sentence of five to nine years in state prison on June 12, 2026. This case has moved through arraignment, plea, and sentencing — the full arc of the Nassau County criminal court process.
It should be noted, as a matter of standard legal practice, that a criminal charge is an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. In this case, however, Reyes entered a guilty plea to all three counts. Long Island Traffic tracks DWI cases through the Nassau and Suffolk County court systems and updates each report as arraignment outcomes, pleas, and sentencing information become part of the public record. Check back for any developments related to appeals or post-sentencing proceedings in this matter. For ongoing accident coverage across Long Island, including related incidents on the LIE and other major corridors, see our full reports.
Broader Impact
Wrong-way crashes on limited-access highways like the LIE are among the most deadly categories of motor vehicle accidents precisely because they involve high closing speeds and minimal reaction time. DA Donnelly’s characterization of this incident as “a miracle” in terms of loss of life reflects a statistical reality — head-on highway collisions at speed are frequently fatal. The victim’s injuries, a fractured tibia and a dislocated hip, while serious and potentially long-term in their impact, represent an outcome far better than the alternative that several miles of wrong-way driving at .26% BAC could easily have produced. For resources on Long Island’s most dangerous roads and how to report impaired drivers, visit our full coverage section.