A DWI arrest anywhere in Brooklyn, from the Belt Parkway to Williamsburg to Bay Ridge, is prosecuted by the Kings County District Attorney, one of the busiest prosecutor's offices in the country. Jonathan Kaye is a Brooklyn DWI lawyer and former Assistant District Attorney who has defended New York drivers for over 30 years. He answers his own phone, he handles every case himself, and his fee for a misdemeanor DWI is a flat $1,500.
Whether you call it a DWI or a Brooklyn DUI, this page covers what Brooklyn's own numbers say about DWI arrests, how a case moves through the Brooklyn courts, what the breath test can and cannot prove, and where to find local help.
Brooklyn DWI arrests by the numbers
The NYPD made 918 DWI arrests in Brooklyn in 2025, the second most of any borough after Queens. That is up 52% from 605 in 2020, when arrests fell sharply across the city, though still well below the 2,116 recorded at the 2014 peak. In other words, DWI enforcement in Brooklyn has been rising for five straight years.
NYPD DWI arrests in Brooklyn, 2006 to 2025
Arrests the NYPD classified as intoxicated or impaired driving, by year.
View the numbers
| Year | DWI arrests |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 1,865 |
| 2007 | 1,968 |
| 2008 | 2,001 |
| 2009 | 1,940 |
| 2010 | 1,733 |
| 2011 | 1,448 |
| 2012 | 1,699 |
| 2013 | 2,045 |
| 2014 | 2,116 |
| 2015 | 1,533 |
| 2016 | 1,511 |
| 2017 | 1,440 |
| 2018 | 1,264 |
| 2019 | 1,123 |
| 2020 | 605 |
| 2021 | 610 |
| 2022 | 642 |
| 2023 | 707 |
| 2024 | 747 |
| 2025 | 918 |
Source: NYC Open Data, NYPD Arrests Data (Historic), offense category "Intoxicated & Impaired Driving."
Where and when Brooklyn DWI arrests happen
Brooklyn impaired-driving stops come heavily off the Belt Parkway along the shore, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Prospect and Gowanus Expressways, and busy corridors like Atlantic Avenue, Ocean Parkway, Flatbush Avenue, and Coney Island Avenue. Nightlife stops concentrate around Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Park Slope, and Bay Ridge, and checkpoints appear on weekends and around holidays.
Timing follows a clear pattern. Police crash reports show that about 50% of Brooklyn's alcohol-involved crashes happen between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m., with the single worst hour starting at midnight. Saturdays and Sundays each see about 2.5 times as many as a typical Monday through Thursday, largely because of Friday and Saturday nights running into the early morning. But the chart also shows a tail into the morning commute, which is why morning-after arrests are real.
Alcohol-involved crashes in Brooklyn, by hour
View the numbers
| Hour starting | Crashes |
|---|---|
| midnight | 213 |
| 1 a.m. | 152 |
| 2 a.m. | 170 |
| 3 a.m. | 143 |
| 4 a.m. | 154 |
| 5 a.m. | 120 |
| 6 a.m. | 70 |
| 7 a.m. | 44 |
| 8 a.m. | 46 |
| 9 a.m. | 39 |
| 10 a.m. | 30 |
| 11 a.m. | 34 |
| noon | 22 |
| 1 p.m. | 36 |
| 2 p.m. | 48 |
| 3 p.m. | 55 |
| 4 p.m. | 66 |
| 5 p.m. | 82 |
| 6 p.m. | 95 |
| 7 p.m. | 116 |
| 8 p.m. | 140 |
| 9 p.m. | 171 |
| 10 p.m. | 176 |
| 11 p.m. | 176 |
By day of the week
View the numbers
| Day | Crashes |
|---|---|
| Sunday | 571 |
| Monday | 251 |
| Tuesday | 208 |
| Wednesday | 209 |
| Thursday | 243 |
| Friday | 368 |
| Saturday | 548 |
Source: NYC Open Data, Motor Vehicle Collisions: Crashes. Police crash reports in Brooklyn listing alcohol involvement as a contributing factor, January 2021 through September 2026 (2,398 crashes). Crash timing is shown because arrest records do not include the time of day.
Wherever and whenever you were stopped, the defense starts with the same question: did the officer have a lawful reason to stop you and to arrest you?
How a Brooklyn DWI case moves
| Stage | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest and chemical test | Precinct or NYPD testing location | Breath test, usually on video, ideally within two hours of arrest. A refusal carries its own DMV consequences. |
| Booking | Brooklyn Central Booking, 120 Schermerhorn St. | Fingerprints, paperwork, and the wait for arraignment, usually within about 24 hours. |
| Arraignment | Kings County Criminal Court, 120 Schermerhorn St. | Charges are read, release is addressed, and a license suspension is usually imposed for a test of .08 or higher. Ask for a hardship hearing here. |
| Discovery and conferences | Kings County Criminal Court | The People turn over reports, test records, and video. This is where most cases are reduced, dismissed, or set for hearings. |
| Felony cases | Kings County Supreme Court, 320 Jay St. | Second offenses within ten years, Leandra's Law, and crashes with serious injury. |
The volume in Brooklyn cuts both ways. It can create room for a reasonable resolution on a clean first offense, and it makes it easy for a case to become one more file on a crowded calendar. A Brooklyn DWI attorney's job is to keep yours from being treated that way.
The breath test in a Brooklyn DWI case
Most Brooklyn DWI cases rest on a number from a breath machine, so it helps to know what that number really is. The machine does not measure the alcohol in your blood. It measures alcohol in your breath and converts it using a fixed ratio, 2,100 to 1, that does not match every person. Several things can push the reading up:
- Mouth alcohol. Burping, reflux, or recent drinking can leave alcohol in the mouth and inflate the result, which is why an observation period is required before the test.
- Rising blood alcohol. Alcohol keeps absorbing after you stop drinking, so a test an hour after the stop can read higher than you were while driving.
- Timing. New York's two-hour rule governs when a test must be requested.
- The machine itself. Calibration, maintenance, and operator certification records all have to be in order.
A drunk driving lawyer who has seen these records from the prosecution side knows where to look. More on the police stop and breath test and field sobriety tests.
What a Brooklyn DWI lawyer costs, compared
Most Brooklyn DWI lawyers will not put a price on their website. Here is how the common fee arrangements compare with Jonathan's.
| Hourly billing | Retainer plus hourly | Jonathan Kaye | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you know up front | An hourly rate | A deposit, not the total | $1,500, in writing |
| If the case takes longer | The bill grows | The retainer is replenished | Same flat fee |
| Who handles your case | Often an associate | Often an associate | Jonathan, personally |
The flat fee covers a misdemeanor DWI from arraignment to resolution. Felony cases, trials, and separate DMV hearings are quoted individually before any work begins. See exactly what the flat fee covers.
Plan your ride home in Brooklyn
Nobody plans to get a DWI. Almost every DWI arrest starts the same way: someone who felt fine to drive. That is the problem. Alcohol affects judgment before anything else, so the decision about how you get home has to be made before the first drink, not after the last one. In Brooklyn, that is easier than almost anywhere:
- The subway runs all night. Check the late-night version of your line before you go out, not after last call.
- Leave the car at home. If the car is not there, the decision is already made. Otherwise, pick a designated driver before you go out.
- Remember the morning after. Alcohol leaves the body slowly. If you were drinking late, you may still be over the limit on the drive to work.
- Do not sleep it off behind the wheel. In New York, sitting in the driver's seat with the engine running can be enough to be charged, even when parked.
If alcohol is part of the story: local help in Brooklyn
A DWI arrest does not mean someone has a drinking problem. But if you or someone close to you has been worried about drinking, this is a good moment to look into it, and taking that step on your own can also be something your lawyer presents on your behalf. These are free or official resources:
Brooklyn DWI cases in the news
These are real, public Brooklyn cases, written up in full with the charges and what they mean under New York law. They show how a DWI escalates when a crash or an injury is involved, not what will happen in any other case.
Midwood man indicted after an 88 mph DWI crash injures two NYPD officers
Prosecutors say a 2024 Suburban hit a patrol car on Coney Island Avenue near Avenue U at about 2:30 a.m., seriously injuring two officers and ejecting the driver's passenger. The indictment includes aggravated vehicular assault, a class B felony. The case is pending.
Read the full case →DWI charge after a fatal moped crash on Third Avenue
Police say a moped struck the side of a car at Third Avenue and 67th Street at about 4:45 a.m., killing a 22-year-old rider. The driver was charged with DWI and driving without a license. The case shows why causation, not just intoxication, decides the most serious charges.
Read the full case →Driver charged after a 13-year-old is critically injured near 15th Avenue
Police say a car struck a teen crossing near 38th Street and 15th Avenue just before 8 a.m. on a school day. The 55-year-old driver faces vehicular assault and DWI charges. A reminder that DWI arrests are not only a late-night problem.
Read the full case →DWI charge for one driver, manslaughter conviction for the other
A speeding Mercedes ran three red lights and struck a Honda, killing a young mother. The Honda's driver was charged with DWI. The Mercedes driver was convicted of manslaughter in January 2026 and sentenced to 3 to 9 years.
Read the full case →Wrong-way van strikes about 15 parked cars on East 94th Street
Video shows a van going the wrong way and repeatedly striking parked cars; six people suffered minor injuries. The driver, who reportedly refused a breath test, was charged with DWI, reckless endangerment and unlicensed operation.
Read the full case →From public court filings, official releases and news reports. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt. Every person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
More cases from across the city and Long Island: DWI cases in the news, including a BQE crash, a suspended license, and vehicular assault.
Brooklyn DWI questions, answered
Where is a Brooklyn DWI case heard?
Misdemeanor DWI cases are heard in Kings County Criminal Court at 120 Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn, where Brooklyn Central Booking and arraignments are also located. Felony DWI cases are handled in Kings County Supreme Court, Criminal Term, at 320 Jay Street.
How long will I be held at Brooklyn Central Booking?
Most people are arraigned within about 24 hours of arrest, though weekends and holidays can stretch it. A Brooklyn DWI lawyer can be ready for the arraignment so you are not facing the judge alone.
Can I keep driving after a Brooklyn DWI arrest?
If the chemical test showed .08 or higher, the judge will generally suspend your license at arraignment while the case is pending. You can ask for a hardship hearing, and many drivers later qualify for a conditional license through the Impaired Driver Program.
Does Brooklyn offer alternatives to jail for DWI?
Most first-offense misdemeanor DWI cases are resolved without jail. For people whose case involves alcohol or substance use, Brooklyn also has long-running treatment-based alternatives such as Brooklyn TASC. Whether any option fits depends on the facts and the record.
How much does a Brooklyn DWI attorney cost?
Jonathan Kaye charges a flat $1,500 legal fee for a misdemeanor DWI in Brooklyn, arraignment to resolution, agreed in writing up front. Court fines, surcharges, DMV fees and program costs are set by the State and are separate.
Will a Brooklyn DWI give me a criminal record?
A DWI conviction is a misdemeanor, which is a criminal conviction. A DWAI, the most common reduction, is a traffic infraction and not a crime, although it still appears on your driving record. That difference is often the most important goal in a first-offense case.
Arrested near Brooklyn?
Jonathan defends DWI cases across the city and Long Island, including cases that start on a Brooklyn highway and end in another borough's court.