Ozone Park woman indicted on aggravated vehicular assault and drunk driving after crash that seriously injured her young children
QUEENS, NY – A grand jury has indicted 24‑year‑old Mariam Alli on an 18‑count indictment charging aggravated vehicular assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated, endangering the welfare of a child and related counts after prosecutors say she sped through a red light and struck another vehicle, seriously injuring her 3‑year‑old son, 2‑year‑old daughter and a passenger in her car.
Alli, of 104th Street in Ozone Park, was arraigned on the indictment and ordered to return to court November 20; the top counts carry up to 15 years in prison. The charges include three counts of aggravated vehicular assault, three counts of second‑degree assault, one count of second‑degree vehicular assault, two counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, driving in excess of the maximum speed limit, failing to stop at a steady red signal and two counts for failing to properly restrain passengers.
According to the indictment and the investigation, on August 13 at approximately 12:02 a.m., Alli and a 21‑year‑old companion left a South Ozone Park bar and, after allegedly leaving her two young children unattended inside her vehicle for close to two hours, Alli drove through a steady red light while traveling on the wrong side of the roadway at the intersection of 84th Road and Rockaway Boulevard. Prosecutors say Alli’s Honda struck a Mazda SUV that had the right of way.
Medical records and prosecutors’ filings show the 3‑year‑old son was treated for a hip fracture and broken tibia, and the 2‑year‑old daughter was treated for a liver laceration, pulmonary contusion and adrenal hematoma. Neither child was secured in an appropriate car seat at the time of the crash. The 21‑year‑old passenger suffered two broken legs, lost teeth and other injuries. Alli was treated for a neck fracture, fibular fracture and additional injuries. The Mazda driver was treated for chest pain.
Vehicle data recovered from Alli’s car shows the vehicle was traveling 57 mph just before the collision in a posted 25 mph zone. Blood alcohol testing conducted about an hour after the crash measured Alli’s blood alcohol concentration between .132 percent and .159 percent, above the legal limit of .08 percent.
Detective Timothy Harrington of the 102 Precinct Detective Squad, with assistance from Sergeant Robert Denig of the Highway Division Collision Investigation Squad, conducted the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Brian Cox of the Homicide Bureau with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Abigail Neuviller under the supervision of Unit Chief Jonathan Selkowe, Bureau Chief John Kosinski and Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Shawn Clark.
Prosecutors allege the defendant’s actions jeopardized the safety of her children by leaving them unattended and then operating a vehicle while impaired at excessive speed, resulting in severe injuries to multiple victims. The indictment formally advances the case to Queens Supreme Court for further proceedings.
Key Points
- Mariam Alli, 24, was indicted on 18 counts including aggravated vehicular assault and aggravated DWI after a crash in Ozone Park that severely injured her 3‑ and 2‑year‑old children
- Prosecutors say Alli left the children unattended in her car for nearly two hours, then ran a red light at high speed and struck another vehicle; measured BAC was between .132 and .159 about an hour after the crash
- The injured include both young children, a 21‑year‑old passenger and the other motorist; Alli is due back in court November 20 and faces up to 15 years on top counts
