What Happened
The Suffolk County Police Department arrested 39 people on driving while intoxicated charges over the July 4th holiday weekend, including a 64-year-old Mastic man who rear-ended a pickup truck at a red light in Mastic Beach on Friday evening before fleeing the scene and crashing into a utility pole, according to Patch.
The Mastic man was behind the wheel of a 2019 Ford, driving northbound on Mastic Road at approximately 8 p.m. on Friday, July 4, 2026. At the intersection of Quay Avenue, the Ford slammed into the rear of a 2001 Chevrolet pickup truck that was stopped at a red light, according to Patch. The woman driving the Chevrolet pickup safely pulled her vehicle to the side of the road following the collision.
Rather than stopping at the scene of the rear-end crash, the man continued driving northbound, left the roadway, and drove the 2019 Ford into a utility pole, police said. The decision to keep moving after the initial collision — only to strike a stationary object moments later — underscores the level of impairment alleged by investigators. The woman who had been driving the pickup declined medical treatment when officers arrived at the scene, according to police.
The 64-year-old man from Mastic was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. He was transported to NYU Langone Hospital – Suffolk in East Patchogue, where he was treated for a non-life-threatening injury, as Patch reported. His name was not disclosed in the police announcement.
Beyond this individual incident, the Suffolk County Police Department tallied the broader toll of impaired driving over the holiday period. Between Thursday, July 2 at 4 p.m. and Monday, July 6 at 8 a.m. — a window of roughly 88 hours covering the heart of the Independence Day holiday — 39 people across Suffolk County were charged with DWI, according to a department spokesperson. The Mastic Beach crash was specifically highlighted among the holiday enforcement activity.
Suffolk County police did not identify additional named defendants in the broader sweep in the initial release, but the 39 arrests reflect the department’s heightened patrol presence over major holiday weekends, a routine enforcement posture that typically includes sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols across the county’s roadway network.
Location & Road Context
The crash took place on Mastic Road at the intersection of Quay Avenue in Mastic Beach, a hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven on the South Shore of Suffolk County. Mastic Road is a north-south arterial that serves as a primary throughway connecting the Mastic and Mastic Beach communities, running toward Smith Point County Park and the Great South Bay waterfront — areas that see substantially elevated traffic during summer holiday weekends. The intersection with Quay Avenue is a signalized crossing where southbound and northbound traffic along Mastic Road meets residential cross-street flow.
Suffolk County roads see a significant concentration of traffic incidents, particularly along South Shore corridors during peak summer periods. Our local incident database currently contains 573 recorded accidents in Suffolk County, and the July 4th weekend historically ranks among the highest-volume periods for DWI enforcement statewide. Related incidents recorded on the same day across the county include a crash on the Southern State Parkway, a moderate-severity crash on NY 347, and downed wires on NY 112.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The 64-year-old Mastic man was arrested by Suffolk County Police at the scene and charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law for a first offense. Because the driver left the scene of the initial rear-end collision before ultimately crashing into the utility pole, investigators may also consider whether additional charges apply, though no such charges were specified in the department’s public announcement.
The department’s spokesperson confirmed the broader sweep of 39 DWI arrests across Suffolk County from Thursday at 4 p.m. through Monday at 8 a.m., reflecting the scope of the holiday enforcement effort. No arraignment date or bail information was released in connection with the Mastic Beach arrest as of the time of the initial police announcement.
Broader Impact
In New York State, a first-offense DWI conviction carries penalties including a minimum fine of $500 up to $1,000, a mandatory minimum six-month license revocation, and potential jail time of up to one year. When a DWI incident also involves leaving the scene of a property-damage accident — as the facts in the Mastic Beach case appear to suggest — drivers can face an additional charge under VTL §600, which is a separate misdemeanor carrying its own fines and license consequences. Motorists facing DWI charges in Suffolk County can learn more about their legal options through our Know Your Rights guide.