What Happened
Elmer Martinez-Serrano, 28, of Valley Stream was arrested at 10:44 p.m. Saturday, September 5, 2026, on westbound Sunrise Highway in Valley Stream after Nassau County police observed his 2024 Honda CRV failing to maintain lanes, according to the Nassau County Police Department’s Public Information Office. Officers activated their emergency lights and sirens and conducted a Vehicle and Traffic Law stop near Brooklyn Avenue and 6th Street.
Officers investigated Martinez-Serrano at the scene and determined he was intoxicated. He was placed under arrest. A 3-year-old female was in the vehicle; she was uninjured and released to a family member at the scene, per the LongIsland.com report. No other injuries were reported.
Martinez-Serrano faces four charges: Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger under 16 (Leandra’s Law), DWI, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and multiple VTL violations. His arraignment was scheduled for Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Nassau County First District Court, 99 Main Street, Hempstead.
Location & Road Context
The stop occurred on westbound Sunrise Highway (NY-27) near the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue and 6th Street in Valley Stream, a heavily traveled Nassau County corridor that runs from Queens through the South Shore to Southampton. According to Long Island Traffic’s incident registry, Sunrise Highway logged 23 recorded incidents in the past 30 days and 89 so far in 2026. The most recent prior fatal crash on the corridor was recorded August 10, 2026.
A separate NY-27 incident was recorded the previous evening, September 5, and overnight westbound lane closures on Sunrise Highway in Nassau and Suffolk counties were in effect as recently as September 3.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Nassau County police charged Martinez-Serrano under New York VTL § 1192 (DWI) and VTL § 1192.2-a (Aggravated DWI, Child Passenger under 16), the latter commonly known as Leandra’s Law. The Endangering the Welfare of a Child charge and the additional VTL violations were filed alongside the DWI counts. LongIsland.com confirmed his arraignment date as Sunday, September 6, at First District Court, 99 Main Street, Hempstead.
A Valley Stream DWI arrest logged the same date appears in Long Island Traffic’s incident registry as a related record from September 6, 2026.
What This DWI Charge Means
New York VTL § 1192 establishes three tiers of impaired driving. A DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired) applies when BAC is between 0.05 and 0.07 and is a traffic infraction, not a crime. Standard DWI under VTL § 1192.2 applies at BAC 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 under VTL § 1192.2-a applies at BAC 0.18 or higher or, separately, when a child under 16 is in the vehicle regardless of BAC level — the latter is the Leandra’s Law provision Martinez-Serrano faces.
Leandra’s Law elevates the charge to an E felony on a first offense. A conviction carries a maximum four-year prison sentence, fines up to $5,000, mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device for at least 12 months, and a minimum one-year license revocation. A driver who refuses a chemical test under New York’s implied-consent law faces an automatic one-year license revocation and a $500 civil penalty — imposed by the DMV independent of any criminal outcome.
Case Status & Updates
The charges against Elmer Martinez-Serrano are accusations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The case entered Nassau County’s First District Court system at his September 6 arraignment in Hempstead and will proceed through Long Island’s criminal court calendar.
Long Island Traffic tracks DWI arrests through arraignment, plea, and sentencing. This report will be updated as court records become available.
Updates
- Sep 5, 2026: Additional reporting merged into this article: “Arrest - Valley Stream” (source)