What Happened
A driver was arrested on a DWI charge on Long Island on Sunday, September 13, 2026, according to an official incident record. Authorities classified the event as major severity. No agency press release had been issued as of publication time, and police had not yet confirmed the specific road, town, responding agency, time of stop, or the name and age of the person taken into custody.
The source record does not identify whether any other vehicles were involved, whether injuries occurred, or what prompted the traffic stop or crash that led to the arrest. Long Island Traffic will update this report with those details when an official source releases them.
What This DWI Charge Means
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 defines three levels of impaired driving. A DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired) charge applies at a BAC between 0.05 and 0.07 and is a traffic infraction on a first offense, carrying a fine of $300–$500 and a 90-day license suspension. A standard DWI under VTL § 1192.2 applies at a BAC of 0.08 or higher and is a misdemeanor on a first offense, with fines of $500–$1,000, a minimum six-month license revocation, and up to one year in jail. Aggravated DWI under VTL § 1192.2-a applies at a BAC of 0.18 or higher and carries steeper fines of $1,000–$2,500 and a minimum one-year revocation.
A second DWI conviction within ten years becomes an E felony under VTL § 1193.1(c), with fines up to $5,000 and up to four years in state prison. All DWI convictions in New York require the installation of a court-ordered ignition interlock device for at least one year following license restoration.
A driver who refuses a chemical breath test faces automatic consequences under New York’s implied consent law regardless of how the criminal case resolves. A first refusal triggers a one-year civil license revocation and a $500 civil penalty imposed by the DMV. That revocation runs separately from any criminal suspension and cannot be reduced by a plea deal in the criminal proceeding.
Case Status & Updates
An arrest or charge is an accusation. The person taken into custody is presumed innocent unless convicted in a court of law. Once formally charged, the case is expected to be arraigned at the applicable Nassau or Suffolk County District Court and proceed through the Long Island criminal court system.
Long Island Traffic tracks DWI cases through the courts and updates each report with arraignment outcomes, pleas, and sentencing results as they become part of the public record. Check back on this page for updates.