2 Infants In Vehicle As Driver Arrested On Felony DWI Charge In Putnam County: NYSP

KENT, NY — A Bronx man was arrested in Putnam County for potentially putting the lives of two young children at risk, according to state police.

New York State Police say that on Sunday, around 9:37 p.m., troopers from the Stormville barracks conducted a welfare check on a 2025 Toyota parked on the shoulder of the Taconic State Parkway, near mile marker 32.3, in the Town of Kent.

While speaking with the driver, 31-year-old Edgar Ismael Loja, of the Bronx, troopers noticed signs of intoxication, according to police. Standardized field sobriety tests were then administered.

Troopers said two children, a five-month-old and a 1-year-old, were also in the vehicle at the time of the stop.

Loja was arrested and taken for processing, where his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was found to be 0.14 percent, police said.

State police said the children were turned over to a sober party.

Loja was charged with two felony counts of aggravated DWI with a child passenger (Leandra's Law); misdemeanor DWI; and misdemeanor third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

He is scheduled to return to the Town of Kent Court on August 6.