Staten Island Expressway (I-278) · October 11 and November 27, 2025
New York State Troopers patrolling the Staten Island Expressway made two felony Leandra's Law arrests in the fall of 2025. Neither driver had crashed, and neither child was hurt. In New York, that does not matter: driving while intoxicated with a child 15 or younger in the car is a felony, even on a first arrest.
October 11: a 9-year-old in the back seat
According to State Police, a trooper stopped a Jeep Grand Cherokee on I-278 near Exit 13 for driving aggressively, speeding, and changing lanes without signaling. The driver, Andrew Howell, 55, of Staten Island, was found to be intoxicated, and a 9-year-old was in the back seat. Police say his breath test at the NYPD's 120th Precinct was more than three times the legal limit. He was charged with aggravated DWI with a child under Leandra's Law, aggravated DWI for a BAC above .18, DWI, and endangering the welfare of a child. The child was released to a family member.
November 27: a 2-year-old in the back seat
Six weeks later, on Thanksgiving, a trooper stopped a Honda sedan on westbound I-278 near Exit 3 for speeding and following too closely. According to State Police, the driver, Elijah Page, 34, of Brooklyn, was intoxicated, and a 2-year-old was in the back seat. He tested over the legal limit at the 120th Precinct and was charged with aggravated DWI under Leandra's Law, DWI, and endangering the welfare of a child. The child was released to a family member.
What Leandra's Law means
Leandra's Law is named for Leandra Rosado, an 11-year-old killed in 2009 when the car she was riding in, driven by a friend's mother who was drunk, overturned on the Henry Hudson Parkway. The law made several changes:
- A felony on the first offense. Driving while intoxicated or impaired by drugs with a passenger 15 or younger is aggravated DWI, a class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison.
- An ignition interlock. Anyone convicted of DWI in New York, not only under Leandra's Law, must install an ignition interlock device.
- A report to the State Central Register. If the driver is the child's parent, guardian or other person legally responsible for the child, the case is reported to the state's child abuse and maltreatment register.
- Endangering the welfare of a child is usually charged alongside it, a separate class A misdemeanor.
What happens next in cases like these
A Leandra's Law case on Staten Island is a felony, so it is prosecuted by the Richmond County District Attorney and heads toward Supreme Court. The questions are the same ones in any DWI: whether there was a lawful reason for the stop, whether the roadside and breath tests were given correctly and on time, and whether the People can prove the child's age and presence. The consequences are much larger, including the child-welfare report, which can create a Family Court matter separate from the criminal case.
Both cases are pending as far as public records show. A charge is an accusation, and both men are presumed innocent.
Related: felony DWI · 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.