Man Drove Drunk With Child In Car In Suffolk: Police

EAST FARMINGDALE, NY — A Queens man was arrested after New York state police said he drove drunk with a child in the car on Sunday morning in Suffolk.

Damien Farrell, 35, was driving northbound on State Route 109 at 2:45 a.m. when he was stopped for a vehicle and traffic violation, police said. Officers determined Farrell was intoxicated and arrested him, police said. He was in East Farmingdale when he was stopped, Newsday reported.

Farrell was charged with DWI, aggravated DWI under Leandra's Law (an E felony) and endangering the welfare of a child. He is scheduled to be arraigned at Suffolk County First District Court on Sept. 11.

Leandra's Law is a felony charge given to people who drive drunk while a child under 16 is in the car. The law was named in memory of 11-year-old Leandra Rosado who was killed when an SUV she and seven other children were riding in crashed on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan in October 2009, according to the state. Leandra was the only person to die in the crash. Her father championed the law.