What Happened
A driver was arrested on a DWI charge on Long Island on Sunday, September 13, 2026, according to an incident record classified as major severity. The Suffolk County Police Department and Nassau County Police Department have not yet issued a press release with the driver’s name, age, hometown, the specific road and municipality, or the time of the stop or crash.
No injuries, vehicle descriptions, or additional charges have been confirmed in official records available at publication time. Police have not yet released whether the arrest followed a traffic stop, a collision, or a 911 call from a witness.
Long Island Traffic will update this report with the arresting agency’s confirmed details, including the defendant’s name, the VTL subsection charged, and arraignment date, as soon as an official press release is issued.
What This DWI Charge Means
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 establishes three primary tiers of impaired-driving offenses. A DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired, § 1192.1) applies when a driver’s ability is impaired by alcohol but BAC is below 0.08; it is a traffic infraction, not a crime, on a first offense. A standard DWI (§ 1192.2) requires a BAC of 0.08 or higher and is a misdemeanor on a first offense, carrying fines of $500–$1,000, a minimum six-month license revocation, and up to one year in jail. Aggravated DWI (§ 1192.2-a) kicks in at a BAC of 0.18 or higher and raises first-offense fines to $1,000–$2,500, with the same potential jail exposure and a mandatory one-year revocation.
A second DWI conviction within 10 years becomes an E felony under § 1193(1)(c), with fines up to $5,000 and a maximum four-year prison sentence. All DWI and Aggravated DWI convictions require installation of a DMV-mandated ignition interlock device for at least 12 months. Drivers who refuse a chemical breath or blood test face an automatic one-year license revocation under New York’s implied consent law and a $500 civil penalty, separate from any criminal charge and imposed even if the underlying DWI charge is later dismissed.
Case Status & Updates
A charge is an accusation. The person arrested is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Once arraigned, the case will proceed through the local New York District Court, either Nassau County District Court in Hempstead or Suffolk County District Court in Central Islip, depending on where the arrest occurred, and, if indicted or on a felony charge, to the relevant County Court.
Long Island Traffic tracks DWI arrests through the full court cycle and updates each report with arraignment outcomes, pleas, and sentencing as they enter the public record. Check back here for updates as official information is released.