Bryan Mizhirumbay of Lindenhurst enters not guilty plea in fatal drunken-driving crash

A motorist who prosecutors said was driving intoxicated and at more than 100 mph  just before he crashed into another vehicle in Freeport last summer, killing its driver, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Mineola to aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter and other charges.

Bryan Mizhirumbay, 24, of Lindenhurst, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.18% — more than twice the legal limit of 0.08% — an hour after his vehicle hit a car driven by Craig White, 55, on Sept. 3, Nassau County prosecutors said.

Mizhirumbay was driving 106 mph on Atlantic Avenue just seconds before the crash, prosecutors said. The speed limit on that section of Atlantic Avenue is 35 mph.

Nassau Supreme Court Justice Caryn Fink ordered Mizhirumbay held in lieu of $100,000 cash bail, $350,000 bond or $1.5 million partially secured bond. Mizhirumbay was ordered to return to court on Feb. 26. If convicted, he faces up to 8 ⅓ to 25 years in prison.

White was heading home from his job at AHRC Nassau, an agency that provides support to people with developmental disabilities, when he was killed, District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a department news release.

"This defendant, allegedly more than two times the legal limit for alcohol, was screaming down Atlantic Avenue in Freeport on a tragic collision course with Craig White," Donnelly said. "Mizhirumbay violently slammed into Craig’s vehicle at 90 mph, causing catastrophic damage and ending his life."

Mizhirumbay’s attorney, Steven Gaitman, of Gaitman and Russo in Garden City, declined to comment on the charges.

According to Nassau County authorities, Mizhirumbay was driving east on Atlantic Avenue at about 11:07 p.m. as he approached the intersection with South Long Beach Avenue.

White was driving north on South Long Beach Avenue.

The defendant failed to stop at a red light and slammed into the driver’s side of White’s vehicle. White’s car crashed through a fence at a nursery and came to rest on the westbound shoulder, where it erupted in flames, according to prosecutors.

White was unconscious and trapped in the driver’s seat, which had been pushed into the passenger compartment. He was transported to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Mizhirumbay was taken to Nassau University Medical Center for his injuries.

Donnelly said White’s death was a blow to the AHRC Nassau community.

"Craig was a dedicated member of the AHRC staff, supporting the needs of individuals with disabilities serviced by the organization with kindness and compassion. His loss at the hands of an alleged drunk driver devastated the community," the district attorney said. "Craig’s many friends, colleagues, and loved ones remain in our thoughts as we prosecute this case."