Brewster man charged with Leandra’s Law following hit-and-run crash

Press Release

On March 4, 2026, at approximately 6:29 p.m., New York State Police from the Brewster barracks (SP Brewster) responded to assist the Village of Brewster Police Department with a hit-and-run property damage auto accident at the Sinclair gas station located at 494 Main Street in the Village of Brewster.

While canvassing the area, troopers located a vehicle matching the description in a rear parking lot on Main Street. The operator, identified as Julian M. Castillo, 22, of Brewster, New York, displayed signs of intoxication. Standardized Field Sobriety Tests were administered, which Castillo subsequently failed. Further investigation revealed that two children, ages 9 months and 2 years old, were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

Castillo was taken into custody and transported to SP Brewster for processing, where he submitted a chemical breath test that yielded a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.11%. The children were safely released to a sober third party.

As a result of the investigation, Castillo was charged with the following:

Two counts of 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

Castillo was issued traffic tickets returnable to the Village of Brewster Court on March 23, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.

Sources: https://troopers.ny.gov/news/brewster-man-charged-leandras-law-following-hit-and-run-crash