Jun 10, 2009 7:12 pm US/Eastern
Long Island Teen Killed By Alleged Drunk Driver
Gary Paulino Would Have Graduated High School In 2 Weeks
COPIAGUE, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Gary Paulino was killed by an alleged drunk driver just two weeks before he was set to graduate from high school.
CBS
On Long Island, prosecutors say a mother accused of driving drunk and killing a teenage boy had a blood-alcohol reading triple the legal limit. The deadly collision left the victim's Copiague family heartbroken.
Gary Paulino was just two weeks away from graduating from Copiague High School and was barely two blocks from home when his life ended suddenly as he was struck by an alleged drunk driver.
"Please don't drive drunk, please," Paulino's sister Gaby said as she wept at her front door Wednesday.
CBS2 has learned that the blood alcohol level of the suspect, Alyssa Cesare, a wife and mother of three young boys, was reported at .24, which is three times the legal limit:
"We don't have any real information as to where the alcohol consumption occurred, although we believe it was probably at her residence,"said Det. Lt. Gerard Pelkofsky of the Suffolk County Police.
Cesare was behind the wheel of her minivan with her 11-year-old son, whom she had just picked up from religion class, belted in the rear when she collided with the victim.
"She's not that kind of person," said Joseph DiNapoli, Cesare's father. "She's not an alcoholic. It's unfortunate, I'm so sorry that young boy had to die."
The suspect's and victim's families live just 1.7 miles from each other, but until now, had never met.
"It's very devastating for us," said Christian Infante, Paulino's uncle.
The victim's cousins are in mourning, honoring his memory on YouTube.
So far on Long Island, fatal DWI crashes are down, but driving drunk is not.
"Our DWI arrests are up on Long Island, but let's be realistic. There are so many more drunk drivers on the road than there are police officers," said Marge Lee of "Dedicatedd" Long Island.
And activists point out that right now, Memorial Day to Labor Day are the 100 deadliest days on the roads for victims of drunk driving.
Police say Paulino had apparently missed the stop sign, or did not stop completely, and was not wearing a seatbelt. They added, however, that if the mom in the minivan was sober, she may have avoided the deadly wreck.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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