An Ozone Park woman faces up to 15 years in prison on multiple charges, including aggravated vehicular assault and drunk driving, after an incident that left her young children seriously injured. Mariam Alli, 24, allegedly ran a red light while intoxicated, causing a violent car crash, according to a recent indictment from the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz made it known that "the defendant not only jeopardized the safety of her children by leaving them unattended in a car while she was drinking inside of a bar, but also further endangered their lives – and the lives of everyone else on the road — by then driving drunk" and called it "a miracle that no one was killed because of the defendant’s alleged reckless actions," according to a statement obtained by the Queens District Attorney's Office. Following the August 13 incident where Alli's car struck another vehicle after speeding, her 3-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter were left to grapple with a sad tally of injuries: a hip fracture and a broken tibia, a liver laceration, a pulmonary contusion, and an adrenal hematoma, respectively.
The children, unprotected by proper car seats, were left in Alli’s vehicle for approximately two hours while she was reportedly inside Tropix Lounge, the DA's account details. Just after midnight, Alli, with a reported blood alcohol level between .132 percent and .159 percent—which vastly exceeds the legal limit of .08 percent as per the indictment—reportedly sped into the oncoming lane while traversing 84th Road and Rockaway Boulevard, leading to her collision with a Mazda SUV.
Both of Alli's young passengers, as well as a 21-year-old individual in her car who suffered from two broken legs, missing teeth, and additional injuries, necessitated urgent medical attention; meanwhile, the other motorist contended with chest pain—and Alli herself was not left unscathed, suffering a neck fracture among other injuries, while the vehicle was clocked at a brisk 57 mph just prior to impact, more than double the area's speed limit. The gravity of the events was detailed by the Queens District Attorney’s Office and the investigation, which included Detective Timothy Harrington of the 102 Precinct Detective Squad and Sergeant Robert Denig from the Highway Division Collision Investigation Squad, leaving a sobering reminder of the consequences that attend such egregious, alleged negligence on the roads.
Supervised by a team of legal professionals including Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Selkowe of the Vehicular Homicide Unit and John Kosinski, Bureau Chief of the Homicide Bureau, Assistant District Attorney Brian Cox is now prosecuting the case. Alli is scheduled to return to court on November 20, as per the proceedings overview shared by the Queens Criminal Supreme Court Justice Michael Hartofilis.
