Mahopac Man had three kids in the car: Peekskill Man Driving at 344AM
Mahopac man charged with Leandra’s Law on the Taconic State Parkway
On March 15, 2026, at approximately 9:59 p.m., New York State Police at Stormville (SP Stormville) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling northbound on the Taconic State Parkway in the town of Yorktown for violations of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
During the stop, the operator, identified as Anthony T. Mercado, 34, of Mahopac, displayed signs of intoxication. Standardized field sobriety tests were administered, which Mercado failed. Further investigation revealed that three children, ages 3, 7 and 9, were in the vehicle at the time of the stop.
Mercado was taken into custody and transported to SP Stormville for processing, where he submitted to a chemical breath test that yielded a blood alcohol content of 0.12%. The children were safely released to a sober third party.
As a result of the investigation, Mercado was charged with:
- Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger (Leandra’s Law), a class E felony
- Driving While Intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor
- Vehicle and Traffic Law violations
Mercado was issued traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Yorktown Court on April 15, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Peekskill man charged with Leandra’s Law following traffic stop
On March 8, 2026, at approximately 3:44 a.m., New York State Police from the Cortlandt Barracks (SP Cortlandt) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling northbound on N. James Street in the City of Peekskill for a violation of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
During the stop, the operator, identified as Jorge Quizhpi, 47, of Peekskill, New York, displayed signs of intoxication. Standardized Field Sobriety Tests were administered, which Quizhpi subsequently failed. Further investigation revealed that a child, age 4, was in the vehicle at the time of the stop.
Quizhpi was taken into custody and transported to SP Cortlandt for processing, where he refused to submit to a chemical breath test. The child was safely released to a sober third party.
As a result of the investigation, Quizhpi was charged with the following:
- Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger (Leandra’s Law), a class E felony
- Driving While Intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor
- Vehicle and Traffic Law violation
Quizhpi was arraigned in Westchester County Centralized Arraignment Court and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear before the City of Peekskill Court on March 12, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
