What Happened
A Salvadoran national with a decade-long history of drunk driving on Long Island was convicted of felony DWI for the fourth time on Friday — and then walked out of a Suffolk County courthouse without posting a single dollar in bail, according to the New York Post.
Pablo Aguilar-Alvarez, 36, had previously been deported from the United States on March 1, 2024, following his third felony DWI conviction. Despite that removal, prosecutors say he illegally re-entered the country and was drunk behind the wheel again by November 29. That evening, Aguilar-Alvarez pulled into a Southampton gas station, reportedly seeking to buy more alcohol. His girlfriend, alarmed by his condition, asked the store clerk to call 911, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
Southampton police responded and located Aguilar-Alvarez nearby. In what prosecutors described as an attempt to evade responsibility, Aguilar-Alvarez allegedly stepped out of the passenger side of the vehicle to make officers believe he had not been driving. Police were not fooled. A roadside sobriety test returned a blood-alcohol content of .17 — more than twice New York State’s legal limit of .08, per the New York Post’s reporting.
That November 29 arrest was not Aguilar-Alvarez’s first brush with Long Island law enforcement — not by a long measure. His DWI record stretches back to a misdemeanor conviction in 2012. He then accumulated three felony DWI convictions on arrests dated April 19, 2017, October 11, 2017, and June 16, 2022. Following the 2022 conviction — his third felony — he was deported on March 1, 2024. The Southampton gas station incident on November 29 became the basis for his fourth felony DWI conviction, delivered by a jury this past Friday.
Suffolk County Judge Bryan Browns, presiding over the case, then released Aguilar-Alvarez without bail despite a formal request from prosecutors that he be held pending sentencing. The decision drew an immediate and forceful public response from Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “There is no question that Pablo Aguilar-Alvarez is a danger to society,” Tierney said in a statement released Monday. “Despite multiple prior felony DWI convictions, this defendant once again chose to get behind the wheel after drinking, putting everyone on the road at risk. And even now, despite the jury’s verdict, there is nothing to stop him from once again getting behind the wheel and endangering the lives of Suffolk County residents.”
Aguilar-Alvarez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2 and faces up to seven years in state prison. A representative for the New York State Office of Court Administration, which represents judges statewide, did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, according to the Post.
Location & Road Context
The triggering incident occurred in Southampton, a town on the South Fork of Suffolk County’s East End. Southampton is a high-traffic community, particularly during summer months, when population surges dramatically on roads including County Road 39, Montauk Highway, and local village streets. The gas station where Aguilar-Alvarez stopped on November 29 has not been publicly identified by name. The broader legal proceedings — conviction, bail ruling, and upcoming sentencing — are being handled in Suffolk County court.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Aguilar-Alvarez was tried before a Suffolk County jury, which returned a guilty verdict on Friday, August 8, 2026. The conviction encompasses the November 29 Southampton DWI arrest, in which his BAC tested at .17. Prosecutors with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office sought to have him held without bail ahead of his October 2 sentencing date, citing his pattern of reoffending after prior convictions and his history of re-entering the country after deportation. Judge Browns denied that request and ordered Aguilar-Alvarez freed without bail. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison when he appears before the court on October 2.
What This DWI Charge Means
Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1192, the state recognizes several levels of impaired driving. A driver is guilty of DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired) at a BAC between .05 and .07; DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) at .08 or above; and Aggravated DWI at .18 or above. Aguilar-Alvarez’s recorded BAC of .17 places him just below the Aggravated DWI threshold, but his extensive prior record elevates the charge to a felony — a status that kicks in under New York law when a driver has prior DWI convictions within ten years.
For a first-time DWI offender in New York, consequences include fines between $500 and $1,000, a minimum six-month license revocation, a mandatory ignition interlock device, and up to one year in jail. Repeat offenders face dramatically steeper exposure. A fourth felony DWI conviction, as in Aguilar-Alvarez’s case, carries a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison under New York’s Penal Law, in addition to permanent license revocation and mandatory ignition interlock requirements upon any future reinstatement.
Drivers who refuse a chemical test under New York’s implied consent law face an automatic one-year license revocation and a $500 civil penalty for a first refusal — consequences that apply independently of any criminal conviction. Refusal can also be used as evidence against the driver in court proceedings.
Case Status & Updates
It is important to note, as a matter of law, that while Aguilar-Alvarez has been convicted by a jury, sentencing has not yet occurred, and the legal process continues. Long Island Traffic will monitor this case through the October 2 sentencing date and update this report as the outcome becomes public record. Readers with information about DWI incidents in Suffolk County are encouraged to contact the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office directly.