Bay Ridge, Brooklyn · A Saturday in June 2025, about 4:45 a.m.
A 29-year-old Sheepshead Bay woman was charged with driving while intoxicated and driving without a license after a pre-dawn crash in Bay Ridge that killed a 22-year-old man riding a moped. His passenger was badly injured.
What police say happened
According to police accounts reported by Gothamist, Leslie Moreno was driving a 2013 Acura TSX west on 67th Street at about 4:45 a.m. on a Saturday in June 2025. Joel Mota, 22, of Sunset Park, was riding a moped south on Third Avenue with a 21-year-old passenger. The moped struck the passenger side of the Acura at the intersection.
Mr. Mota suffered serious head and torso injuries and was pronounced dead at NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn. His passenger was treated there for fractures to his arm and leg. Ms. Moreno was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
The charges, and why they matter
Ms. Moreno was charged with driving while intoxicated and with driving without a license. It is worth noticing what she was not charged with, based on the reports we reviewed: a homicide-level count such as vehicular manslaughter.
That distinction is at the heart of many serious Brooklyn DWI cases. Under New York law, vehicular manslaughter requires more than proof that a driver was intoxicated and that someone died. Prosecutors must show that the intoxication caused the death. When the other vehicle struck the driver's car, as police described here, causation becomes the central question, and it is exactly the kind of issue a drunk driving attorney investigates with crash reconstruction, video, and the physical evidence from the scene.
Driving without a valid license alongside a DWI allegation also matters. It can remove options that a licensed first offender might otherwise have, and it can complicate any later effort to obtain a conditional license.
Where the case stands
We found no public report of an indictment, plea, or verdict in this case as of September 2026. Ms. Moreno is presumed innocent.
Related: consequences of a DWI · conditional licenses
This article is drawn from public court filings, official releases and news reports, and is provided for general information only. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Nothing here predicts the outcome of any other case, and nothing here is legal advice.