84th Street and Rockaway Boulevard, Ozone Park · August 13, 2025, about 12:02 a.m.
A 24-year-old Ozone Park woman has been indicted on aggravated vehicular assault and aggravated DWI charges after a crash that seriously injured her two young children, who prosecutors say were riding without proper car seats.
What prosecutors say happened
According to the Queens District Attorney, Mariam Alli left her two young children in her car for about two hours while she drank at a lounge on Lefferts Boulevard in South Ozone Park. Around midnight, prosecutors say, she drove through a red light at about 57 mph in a 25 mph zone, on the wrong side of the road, and struck a Mazda SUV at 84th Street and Rockaway Boulevard. Her BAC, measured about an hour later, was between .132 and .159.
Her 3-year-old son suffered a fractured hip and a broken tibia. Her 2-year-old daughter suffered a lacerated liver, a lung contusion, and an adrenal hematoma.
The charges
The 18-count indictment includes three counts of aggravated vehicular assault, assault, vehicular assault, two counts of aggravated DWI, endangering the welfare of a child, DWI, reckless driving, speeding, running a red light, and failing to restrain child passengers. She was arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Hartofilis and faces up to 15 years if convicted.
Leandra's Law, explained
New York's Leandra's Law makes it a class E felony to drive while intoxicated or impaired with a child 15 or younger in the vehicle, even on a first offense and even if no one is hurt. It is charged as aggravated DWI. Here the reported BAC was below the .18 threshold for high-BAC aggravated DWI, so the aggravated DWI counts rest on the children in the car. When a child is injured, the case climbs further, into aggravated vehicular assault. A Leandra's Law conviction also requires an ignition interlock, and when the driver is the child's parent, the law requires a report to the state's child abuse hotline.
Where the case stands
The case was next scheduled for November 20, 2025. We found no public report of a plea or verdict as of September 2026. Ms. Alli is presumed innocent.
Related: another Queens Leandra's Law case · aggravated DWI
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.