Subject Was under the Influence of Alcohol, Methamphetamines
A Central Islip man was sentenced to three to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to driving the wrong way on a service road under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine, causing a head-on collision that seriously injured two individuals.
On July 14, 2024, at 9:36 p.m., Jimmy Graham was operating a 2014 Audi sedan on the Sunrise Highway South Service Road near Malts Avenue in West Islip. On that date, his privilege to operate a motor vehicle was revoked. While traveling at a high rate of speed in the wrong direction, Graham collided head-on with a Jeep Grand Cherokee that was traveling east in the left lane with two occupants inside.
As a result of the crash, both victims suffered serious physical injuries that required emergency surgery, including multiple fractures to both victims and a traumatic brain injury.
Members of the West Islip Fire Department arrived at the scene and rescued the victims from their vehicle. A good Samaritan helped to extract Graham, who was unconscious, from his car before it became engulfed in flames. Graham was transported to Good Samaritan University Hospital, where a blood sample was taken.
The District Attorney’s Office, along with the Suffolk County Police Department, launched an investigation into the circumstances of the crash. A search warrant was executed for Graham’s hospital blood results, which indicated that he had a blood alcohol concentration of .14% and methamphetamine in his system. Further, video surveillance from a nearby business captured the crash, which showed Graham traveling into oncoming traffic at a high rate of speed.
On November 13, 2025, Graham pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas to the following charges:
- one count of Aggravated Vehicular Assault, a Class C felony
- two counts of Assault in the Second Degree, Class D felonies
- one count of Driving While Intoxicated, an Unclassified misdemeanor
- one count of Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combined Influence of Drugs or of Alcohol and any Drug or Drugs, an Unclassified misdemeanor
- one count of Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in Third Degree, an unclassified misdemeanor
- one count of Reckless Driving, an unclassified misdemeanor
On December 17, 2025, Graham, 41, was sentenced to three to nine years in prison.
“When someone drives recklessly while under the combined influence of alcohol and methamphetamine, they are not only breaking the law; they are endangering the lives of everyone else on the road,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “This sentencing sends a clear message: in Suffolk County, we will not tolerate actions that turn vehicles into dangerous weapons.”