Man charged with DWI with 8-year-old stepson in car after 911 call, police say

Police arrested a Lindenhurst man Sunday night in North Babylon and charged him with driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle, police said.

A 911 caller reported seeing an intoxicated man get behind the wheel of a car with a child in the back seat in the parking lot of Denny’s at 1143 Deer Park Ave. at about 10:45 p.m. Sunday, Suffolk County police said in a news release.

Officers found Juan A. Espinal driving a 2013 BMW with his 8-year-old stepson in the back seat, police said.

Espinal, 37, of Lindenhurst, was arrested at about 11:20 p.m. and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child passenger 15-years-old or younger, a violation of Leandra’s Law, and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.

The child was released to a family member, police said, and no one was injured.

Espinal was held at the First Precinct and was scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Monday. An attorney for Espinal could not be reached.