What Happened
Julio Zelaya, 39, of Copiague was arrested Thursday night on a felony DWI charge after his vehicle struck a Suffolk County Police patrol car at Montauk Highway and Hawkins Boulevard in Copiague, injuring both himself and the officer inside, according to Patch.
Zelaya was driving a 2004 Acura TL eastbound on Montauk Highway at approximately 9:46 p.m. when he attempted a left turn onto Hawkins Boulevard. A patrol car traveling westbound on Montauk Highway was in his path. The two vehicles collided, Suffolk County police said.
Officer Jordan Tozitsky, 32, was behind the wheel of the patrol car. Both Tozitsky and Zelaya were taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip. Police described both men’s injuries as non-life-threatening, per the Patch report.
Suffolk County police charged Zelaya with driving while intoxicated with a previous conviction for a designated offense within 10 years. That prior conviction elevates the charge to a Class E felony. Zelaya is expected to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip; no date has been set as of the morning of August 28, 2026.
Location & Road Context
Montauk Highway runs east-west through the South Shore of Suffolk County and carries heavy commuter and commercial traffic through Copiague. The Hawkins Boulevard intersection is a signalized crossing between residential streets to the south and the commercial corridor along Montauk Highway. Long Island Traffic’s local incident database contains 858 recorded accidents in Suffolk County.
For more incidents on this stretch, see the NY 27 / Montauk Highway accidents page and our Copiague town coverage.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Zelaya faces a single count of felony DWI under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law, elevated from a standard misdemeanor because he had a prior conviction for a designated offense within the previous 10 years, Suffolk County police told Patch. The specific prior offense has not been disclosed publicly.
His arraignment will take place at First District Court in Central Islip; no date was announced as of Friday morning, August 28, 2026. The case will proceed through Suffolk County criminal court.
What This DWI Charge Means
New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 sets out three tiers of impaired driving. Section 1192.1 covers driving while ability impaired (DWAI) by alcohol, a traffic infraction for a first offense. Section 1192.2 covers driving while intoxicated with a BAC of 0.08 or higher, a misdemeanor on a first offense. Section 1192.2-a covers aggravated DWI with a BAC of 0.18 or higher, also carrying stiffer penalties on a first offense.
A repeat DWI conviction — where the prior offense falls within 10 years — pushes the charge to a Class E felony. A Class E felony conviction carries up to four years in state prison, fines between $1,000 and $5,000, and mandatory revocation of the driver’s license for a minimum of one year. New York also requires a mandatory ignition interlock device on any vehicle the convicted person owns or operates. Refusing a chemical test triggers an automatic one-year license revocation by the DMV, independent of any criminal outcome, and the refusal can be used as evidence in court.
For a full breakdown of New York’s DWI statutes and what a charge means for your license, see our Know Your Rights guide.
Case Status & Updates
The arrest is an accusation. Julio Zelaya is presumed innocent unless and until he is convicted in a court of law.
Long Island Traffic tracks DWI cases through the Suffolk County court system and updates each report as arraignment outcomes, pleas, and sentencing become public record. Check back on this page for updates once a First District Court arraignment date is confirmed. Related incidents from August 28, 2026 are logged in our Suffolk County accidents archive.