What Happened
Two drunk-driving arrests unfolded hours apart along Montauk Highway on the night of Monday, July 6, into the early hours of Tuesday, July 7, 2026 — one involving a two-car crash in East Quogue, the other a man found asleep at the wheel in Water Mill — according to Daily Voice.
The first incident brought police to the intersection of Montauk Highway and Carter Lane in East Quogue at approximately 8:15 p.m. Monday. Officers responded to reports of a two-car collision and, upon investigating, determined that driver Alan Vasquez was intoxicated at the time of the wreck, authorities said. Both drivers involved suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Vasquez was charged with misdemeanor DWI and unlicensed driving.
The arrest carries added weight given Vasquez’s prior record. As Daily Voice reported, his name, age, and hometown match a man who was arrested for drunk driving on Montauk Highway in April 2026 and hit with the identical charges — misdemeanor DWI and unlicensed driving. That would make Monday’s crash his second DWI-related arrest on the same highway within roughly three months.
Hours later, a second drunk-driving arrest unfolded further west along the same highway. Joshua Semander, 29, of Center Moriches was initially flagged to police as an erratic driver, but by the time officers found him at the intersection of Montauk Highway and Hayground Road in Water Mill around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, he was asleep at the wheel, according to Daily Voice. Semander was charged with misdemeanor DWI and held for arraignment later Tuesday.
Location & Road Context
Both arrests occurred on Montauk Highway, the principal east-west artery running through the South Shore of Suffolk County. The crash site — Montauk Highway and Carter Lane in East Quogue — sits in the Southampton Town corridor, while the Semander incident occurred at Hayground Road in Water Mill, several miles to the west. Montauk Highway carries heavy summer traffic through this stretch as the gateway to the Hamptons and the South Fork.
Long Island Traffic’s database shows 16 recorded incidents on Montauk Highway, with a string of serious crashes in recent months: a head-on collision with multiple injuries on May 11, and multiple people hurt in a Mastic crash on May 21. The July 4th holiday weekend — historically among the highest-volume travel periods on the South Fork — immediately preceded both Monday night arrests.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Vasquez was charged with misdemeanor DWI under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1192 and unlicensed driving. Given that his name, age, and hometown align with a prior April 2026 DWI arrest on Montauk Highway, investigators will likely examine whether a repeat-offense enhancement applies as the case proceeds through court. No bail information for Vasquez was immediately reported.
Semander, 29, of Center Moriches, was charged with misdemeanor DWI and held for arraignment later on Tuesday, July 7, according to authorities. His case will proceed through Suffolk County’s local court system.
What This DWI Charge Means
Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1192, impaired-driving offenses are tiered by severity. A DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired) applies at a BAC of 0.05–0.07 and is a traffic infraction. A standard DWI — the charge both Vasquez and Semander face — requires a BAC of 0.08 or higher and is a misdemeanor. Aggravated DWI kicks in at 0.18 BAC and carries significantly steeper penalties.
For a first-offense misdemeanor DWI in New York, penalties include fines of $500–$1,000, a mandatory minimum six-month license revocation, possible jail time of up to one year, and a required ignition interlock device upon license restoration. A second DWI within ten years is a class E felony, carrying fines up to $5,000, a mandatory minimum one-year revocation, and up to four years in state prison. If the prior April arrest is confirmed to be the same Alan Vasquez, prosecutors could pursue felony charges — a determination that will hinge on arraignment proceedings and court records.
Refusing a chemical test (breathalyzer or blood test) in New York triggers an automatic one-year license revocation and a $500 civil penalty under the state’s implied consent law — separate from and in addition to any criminal penalties that follow. That refusal can also be introduced as evidence of consciousness of guilt at trial.
Case Status & Updates
An arrest and criminal charge represent accusations, not convictions. Alan Vasquez and Joshua Semander are each presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Both cases are expected to be arraigned in the appropriate Suffolk County District Court and will proceed through Long Island’s criminal court system.
Long Island Traffic monitors DWI cases as they move through the courts and updates each report with arraignment outcomes, pleas, and sentencing information as those records become publicly available. Check back here for developments in both cases.