Leandra’s Law arrest made after Sunken Meadow crash, cops say

A Commack man was arrested under Leandra’s Law after he drove drunk and crashed his car with two teenage passengers Tuesday on the Sunken Meadow Parkway, State Police said.

Police said Jonathan M. Capelutto, 19, was driving his 2011 Infiniti south on the Sunken Meadow near Exit SM5, Fort Salonga Road, in Commack when he lost control and struck an exit sign, a utility pole and a tree.

He was taken to Huntington Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Neither of the 15-year-old passengers was injured, police said.

Police said that an investigation determined Capelutto was intoxicated and had marijuana.

Capelluto was charged with two counts of aggravated DWI under Leandra’s Law, as well as two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of marijuana, police said. He also was issued several traffic summonses.

Capelluto was to be appear Wednesday in First District Court in Central Islip. Online arraignment information was not available.

Leandra’s Law is named for Leandra Rosado, 11, who was killed when a car driven by a drunken driver overturned on the Henry Hudson Parkway in October 2009.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”