Matthew Smith of Hauppauge: DWI Crash, Guilty Plea, and Sentence

Matthew Smith, a 21-year-old from Hauppauge, New York, pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026, to aggravated vehicular homicide and 18 other charges stemming from a drunk-driving crash in January 2026 that killed off-duty Nassau County Police Officer Patricia Espinosa. Under the plea agreement, Smith faces 7⅓ to 22 years in state prison, followed by three years of post-release supervision, and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20, 2026.¹

The Crash on Alexander Avenue

At about 6:07 a.m. on January 31, 2026, Smith was driving a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado pickup northbound on Alexander Avenue in the Lake Grove and St. James area of Suffolk County. He ran a red light at roughly 70 mph in a 30-mph zone and struck a 2019 Alfa Romeo driven by Officer Patricia Espinosa, who was on her way to work at the Nassau County Police Department’s Fifth Precinct in Elmont. Her car overturned. She was found hanging upside down by her seat belt and was pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Hospital.²³

Smith’s passenger, 25-year-old John Andali of Centereach, sustained spinal and pelvic fractures and a severe head laceration. He was also taken to Stony Brook.²

The Evidence Against Smith

A chemical test taken roughly 40 minutes after the crash measured Smith’s blood alcohol concentration at 0.20 percent, more than twice New York’s 0.08 legal limit. He had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. Police recovered a bottle of Bacardi rum, a shot glass, rolling papers, a vape, and a stun gun from inside the truck.²

Prosecutors said Smith had been drinking for hours. He admitted consuming Bacardi rum, whiskey, and peach schnapps at a house in Miller Place and at several bars and restaurants, including Buffalo Wild Wings, a lounge called Felt in Hauppauge, the James Joyce pub and Lindo Mexico in Patchogue, and Jake’s 58 Casino Hotel. He was 20 at the time, under the legal drinking age, and admitted none of these establishments asked him for identification. He did not possess a fake ID. He also admitted buying a bottle of Bacardi at Aqua Vitae Wines and Liquors in Hauppauge without being carded.²

Data from the Silverado’s infotainment system showed Smith reached a top speed of 125 mph between Patchogue and Jake’s 58, and was going 117 mph after leaving the casino. Forensic analysis indicated he was accelerating through the red light and traveling at 70 mph one second before impact. Andali had recorded video on his phone about 30 minutes before the crash showing Smith weaving around traffic and using turn lanes and shoulders to pass other vehicles.²⁴

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said Smith already had a history of reckless driving. Suffolk police had previously cited him for speeding, driving in the high-occupancy vehicle lane, tinted windows, and driving without a muffler.²

The Charges

Smith was hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries and was not arraigned until nearly a week after the crash. At that first appearance he was charged with a single count of driving while intoxicated, pleaded not guilty, and had bail set at $1 million.⁵

On March 13, 2026, a Suffolk County grand jury returned a 19-count indictment. The top charges were two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, both Class B felonies carrying a potential sentence of up to 25 years. The indictment also included vehicular manslaughter in the first and second degrees, manslaughter in the second degree, aggravated vehicular assault, assault in the second degree, vehicular assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and several traffic infractions. Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei ordered Smith remanded without bail.³

The Guilty Plea and Expected Sentence

On June 11, 2026, Smith changed his plea to guilty on all 19 counts before Justice Mazzei. The plea agreement calls for a prison term of 7⅓ to 22 years, three years of post-release supervision, and forfeiture of the Chevrolet Silverado. Under New York law, aggravated vehicular homicide is a Class B felony with a statutory maximum of 25 years, so the 22-year ceiling sits just below that cap.¹⁶

Tierney said in a statement that Espinosa “dedicated her life to protecting others” and “was killed on her way to work, leaving her daughter without a mother, her husband without a wife, and a family without their beloved daughter and sister.” He said the plea “provides them with some measure of justice.”¹

Smith’s defense attorney, Anthony LaPinta, said the plea was about “doing the right thing for the Espinosa family” and spared them a trial. He said the plea made “loud and clear to everyone that Matthew has taken prompt, quick, total responsibility for his reckless actions.” Nassau County PBA President Thomas Shevlin said the union was glad the family would not have to “listen to the recklessness, the total disregard for human life” recounted in open court.² Smith remains in the Suffolk County jail awaiting the July 20 sentencing.

Who Patricia Espinosa Was

Espinosa was 42. Born in Quito, Ecuador, she immigrated to the United States at age 21 and worked as a New York State correctional officer before joining the Nassau County Police Department in 2017. She was a nine-year veteran assigned to the Fifth Precinct in Elmont, where she served as a field training officer, and was active with the Nassau County Police Hispanic Society.⁷⁸ She is survived by her husband, Nassau County Police Officer Francisco Malaga, their daughter Mia, who was about two years old at the time of her mother’s death, and her brothers Christian and David Almeida, who are also police officers.⁹

The Underage Drinking Trail

Because Smith was 20 and said he was never carded at any of the Suffolk County bars, restaurants, or liquor stores he visited that night, the case drew wider attention to underage drinking on Long Island. Newsday reported that DWI arrests of drivers under 21 in Suffolk County had risen 110 percent, and Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina described a “zero-tolerance approach” that includes added highway patrol presence, sobriety checkpoints, and targeted enforcement at peak hours.¹⁰

1
Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Hauppauge Man Pleaded Guilty to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide for Intoxicated Driving Crash That Killed Nassau County Police Officer
2
Newsday. Patricia Espinosa Nassau Police Fatal Crash
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Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Hauppauge Man Indicted for Fatal Crash That Killed Nassau County Police Officer and Seriously Injured Another
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Greater Long Island. Hauppauge Driver Pleads Not Guilty DWI Crash Police Officer
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News 12 New Jersey. Hauppauge Man Charged With DWI in Crash That Killed Nassau County Police Officer
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New York State Senate. New York Penal Law Section 125.14
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New York State Senate. Resolution 2025-K1457
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Newsday. Nassau Police Officer Patricia Espinosa Visitation St. James
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ABC7 New York. Nassau County Off-Duty Police Officer Patricia Espinosa Killed by Alleged DWI Driver
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Newsday. Long Island Underage Drinking Statistics