Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 26-year-old Port Jefferson Station man with a lengthy criminal record was arrested Saturday night after his Dodge Challenger slammed into a 2000 Jeep on Sunrise Highway in Patchogue, injuring two young women — the latest in a series of run-ins with law enforcement stretching back six years, according to Greater Long Island.
Mark Miller was driving east on Sunrise Highway at 8:17 p.m. Saturday when he attempted to pass the Jeep using an entrance ramp just west of North Ocean Avenue, police said. The maneuver went catastrophically wrong when his Dodge Challenger made contact with the 2000 Jeep, setting off a chain of consequences for everyone in the vehicle and for Miller himself.
The Jeep carried three 19-year-old occupants. The driver, a Sayville woman, and a 19-year-old female passenger both suffered minor injuries in the collision, according to police. A 19-year-old male passenger in the Jeep escaped the crash without injury. Miller, who was driving alone, was also uninjured — though he did not escape the aftermath of the collision without consequence.
When police evaluated Miller at the scene, they found reason to believe he was impaired. He was subsequently charged with driving while ability impaired by a combination of drugs and alcohol, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said. The controlled substance was identified as alprazolam — the generic form of the anti-anxiety medication Xanax — according to Greater Long Island’s report. The combination charge indicates investigators believe Miller was under the influence of both alcohol and the prescription sedative at the time of the crash.
Saturday evening’s arrest was far from Miller’s first encounter with law enforcement. As Greater Long Island detailed, his troubles with police stretch back at least six years. Just weeks before the Sunrise Highway crash, on June 8, Miller was arrested and charged with second-degree menacing with a blunt object and criminal mischief. He was arraigned and entered a not guilty plea in that case. On May 24 — less than two weeks before that — Miller had been charged in connection with an ATV stop with an array of serious offenses: third-degree fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, reckless driving, speeding, multiple failures to stop at stop signs, operating an ATV on a highway, and a string of equipment and registration violations. He pleaded not guilty to all of those charges as well.
The prior years were no less turbulent. In December 2021, Miller was arrested in Port Jefferson Station and charged with first-degree robbery after allegedly displaying a gun during the incident, police said. A year before that, in October 2020, Miller was arrested and charged with first-degree assault after police said he shot a 19-year-old man in Coram — a victim who was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The resolution of both the 2020 and 2021 cases could not be immediately determined, according to Greater Long Island. A message left with Miller’s attorney, Matthew Tuohy — who is representing Miller in Suffolk County court on the more recent criminal matters — was not immediately returned.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place on Sunrise Highway in Patchogue, a stretch of the heavily traveled state route that cuts across the South Shore of Suffolk County. The specific collision point — on an entrance ramp just west of North Ocean Avenue — is a location where traffic merges and lane changes are common, presenting elevated risk when drivers are not fully alert or are making aggressive passing maneuvers. Sunrise Highway through this corridor is a frequent scene of serious crashes; just this month, several fatal accidents have been recorded in nearby portions of Suffolk County, underscoring the ongoing danger on these roads. For live traffic conditions on Sunrise Highway, check the Long Island Traffic roads page.
Patchogue has seen a notable concentration of serious vehicle incidents in 2026. In mid-June, multiple fatal crashes were recorded in and around the area, including the death of East Patchogue resident Hilton Spokony in a motor vehicle crash.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Miller faces two criminal charges stemming from Saturday’s crash: driving while ability impaired by a combination of drugs and alcohol, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance — specifically alprazolam, the generic form of Xanax, police said. According to Greater Long Island, attorney Matthew Tuohy is representing Miller in Suffolk County court on his recent criminal cases, though Tuohy did not immediately return a request for comment.
The arrest piles new legal exposure onto Miller’s already crowded court docket. His not-guilty pleas in the June 8 menacing case and the May 24 ATV-related case remain pending, and Saturday’s impaired driving and drug possession charges now add a third active matter. The manner in which his earlier cases — including the 2020 first-degree assault charge following a Coram shooting and the 2021 first-degree robbery charge in Port Jefferson Station — were resolved remains unclear, per Greater Long Island’s reporting. Under New York law, a DWAI by drugs or combination charge (VTL §1192.4) is a misdemeanor for a first offense, though Miller’s history may be considered in sentencing proceedings should he be convicted.
Broader Impact
Driving while impaired by a combination of alcohol and prescription medication like alprazolam — a benzodiazepine sedative — is an increasingly common factor in Long Island crashes. Xanax and similar drugs depress the central nervous system, and when combined with alcohol, the sedative effects are compounded significantly, substantially impairing reaction time and judgment. New York’s DWAI-combination statute (VTL §1192.4-a) treats this as a distinct and serious offense, and prosecutors in Suffolk County have increasingly pursued these cases aggressively, particularly when a crash results in injuries to other motorists. Drivers with prior criminal records face heightened scrutiny from the court in bail and sentencing determinations. For guidance on rights following an accident involving an impaired driver, see Long Island Traffic’s know-your-rights resources.