What Happened
Vladimir Alonzo, 23, of Mastic Beach was indicted on 22 counts Friday after leading Suffolk County Sheriff’s deputies on a 15-mile pursuit at over 100 mph along Sunrise Highway and Montauk Highway in the Yaphank area, causing five separate crashes, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney announced August 14, 2026, according to Patch.
The chase started at approximately 12:25 a.m. on June 27, 2026. Alonzo was driving a 2022 Ram 3500 eastbound on Sunrise Highway near Exit 50 at speeds exceeding 100 mph. A Suffolk County Sheriff’s deputy clocked the excess speed and initiated a traffic stop. Alonzo pulled onto the shoulder near Exit 52. When the deputy stepped out and approached the truck, Alonzo accelerated eastbound, weaving through traffic before swerving off the roadway at Exit 57S, prosecutors said.
Alonzo struck a street sign and drove through residential yards on the South Service Road. He turned south on Yaphank Avenue, ran a red light at the intersection of Montauk Highway, and crashed into a telephone pole, according to prosecutors. Despite the impact, he continued westbound on Montauk Highway in his damaged truck until deputies boxed him in. Alonzo then rammed his Ram 3500 into one of the deputies’ vehicles and fled eastbound on Montauk Highway at excessive speeds, prosecutors said, with other motorists pulling off the road to avoid being struck.
Running a red light at the intersection of Montauk Highway and William Floyd Parkway, Alonzo struck a 2026 Toyota Sienna, causing it to spin and overturn. Two occupants of the Sienna were transported to NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk in East Patchogue with non-life-threatening injuries and later released, Patch reports. Alonzo fled southbound on William Floyd Parkway for several miles, then executed a U-turn through the grass median and drove northbound before attempting a high-speed right turn, losing control, and crashing into the side of a CVS Pharmacy at the corner of Havenwood Drive East. The Ram 3500 wedged between a building pillar and the structure and became disabled. Deputies found Alonzo in the driver’s seat. Open alcohol containers were inside the vehicle, prosecutors said.
Further investigation revealed Alonzo was operating the truck on an expired license. DA Tierney did not mince the assessment: “He drove more than 100 miles per hour through residential neighborhoods, ran red lights, fleeing from law enforcement, driving through people’s yards while intoxicated, leaving two wrecked vehicles behind him and, under New York’s ridiculous bail laws, my prosecutors cannot ask for bail.” Tierney added: “It is a miracle, and a matter of pure luck, that no one was seriously injured or killed in this reckless 15-mile-long ordeal.”
Alonzo’s 22-count indictment, according to Patch, includes felony first-degree reckless endangerment and felony second-degree criminal mischief, misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal mischief, and misdemeanor third-degree assault. Additional misdemeanor charges are third-degree unlawful fleeing from a police officer in a motor vehicle, leaving the scene without reporting personal injury, two counts of driving while intoxicated, driving while ability impaired by drugs, driving while ability impaired by the combined influence of drugs or alcohol and any drug or drugs, and reckless driving. Infractions charged include operating without a valid license, illegal U-turn, three counts of speeding, three counts of leaving the scene without reporting, three counts of failing to stop at a traffic control device, and failing to maintain lane. His driving privileges were suspended; he was placed on supervised release without bail. He is represented by Gregory Grizopoulos of Mineola.
Location & Road Context
The pursuit crossed two of Suffolk County’s most heavily traveled east-west corridors. Sunrise Highway (NY-27) carries high volumes of passenger and commercial traffic through Yaphank and the Hamptons corridor, with exit ramps spaced roughly one mile apart between exits 50 and 57. Montauk Highway (NY-27A) runs parallel through more densely residential stretches in the same corridor. The William Floyd Parkway intersection, where the Toyota Sienna was struck and overturned, connects Shirley and Mastic Beach directly to the William Floyd Parkway/Sunrise Highway interchange — a busy four-way junction at any hour. For current conditions on Sunrise Highway and Montauk Highway, check the Long Island Traffic live map.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The indictment was handed down by a Suffolk County grand jury and announced by DA Ray Tierney on August 14, 2026. Because the charges are classified as non-bail-eligible under current New York State law, Suffolk County prosecutors had no authority to request detention, Tierney stated. Alonzo was placed on supervised release with his driving privileges suspended. He is next scheduled to appear in court September 25, 2026, and faces two and one-third to seven years in prison on the top count — first-degree reckless endangerment — if convicted.
Patch attempted to contact Alonzo’s attorney, Gregory Grizopoulos of Mineola, after business hours Friday and did not receive a response before publication.
What This DWI Charge Means
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 establishes three levels of alcohol-impaired driving. VTL § 1192.1 covers driving while ability impaired (DWAI) — a BAC below 0.08 with observable impairment. VTL § 1192.2 is DWI, requiring a BAC of 0.08 or higher. VTL § 1192.2-a covers aggravated DWI at a BAC of 0.18 or higher. Alonzo faces two counts of DWI and one count of driving while ability impaired by drugs, along with a charge of impairment by the combined influence of alcohol and drugs, under § 1192.4-a.
A first-offense DWI conviction in New York carries a fine of $500 to $1,000, up to one year in jail, and a minimum six-month license revocation. Mandatory ignition interlock device installation applies to all DWI convictions. A repeat offense within ten years is a class E felony, with a fine up to $5,000 and up to four years in prison. Refusing a chemical test triggers an automatic one-year license revocation under New York’s implied-consent law, independent of any criminal outcome, and the refusal can be used as evidence in a subsequent prosecution.
Case Status & Updates
An arrest and indictment are accusations. Vladimir Alonzo is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case is proceeding through Suffolk County criminal court, with the next appearance scheduled for September 25, 2026. Long Island Traffic tracks DWI cases through arraignment, plea, and sentencing, and updates each report as outcomes become part of the public record.