Angelica's Law, named for Holbrook teen, aims to reduce reckless driving

Angelica's Law, which increases penalties for reckless driving in New York and is named for a Holbrook teenager killed 16 years ago by an unlicensed driver with seven previous suspensions, takes effect Friday, the state Department of Motor Vehicles announced Wednesday.

The measure, which was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December, decreased from 10 to five the number of license suspensions needed to charge a driver with a Class E felony of first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation.

A driver convicted on the charge will face a fine of $500 to $5,000 and a prison term as long as two years, according to the bill text cited by Newsday in a story last year. After four suspensions, drivers will be notified by the DMV "in bold and conspicuous type" that a fifth suspension or revocation for a moving violation would subject them to the felony charge, according to the 2023 story.

The bill's namesake, Angelica Nappi, was struck and killed after a driver ran a red light on Route 101 in 2008, the story said. The motorist faced only a misdemeanor, the state said in its announcement.   

"As of November 1, New York’s roads are safer because of this law honoring Angelica Nappi, who was just 14 when a known high-risk driver killed her," DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder, who chairs the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, said in a statement Wednesday.

"More than a decade later," he added, "Angelica’s legacy is alive and well, with tangible good emerging from terrible tragedy."

Angelica’s mother, Dawn Riendeau, said in the statement released by the state, “[Friday] is a day 16 years in the making. Angelica’s Law brings us one step closer towards creating safer roadways and saving lives. Although there is more work to be done, I am thankful for the progress that was made in memory of my daughter. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for signing this legislation into law."

Riendeau had pushed for the bill in Albany, which was first introduced in 2017.

She told Newsday in June 2023 after the bill passed the State Legislature: "There were times when I felt like throwing in the towel, but I said, ‘You have to hang in there.' I had to make sure my daughter’s death wasn’t in vain."

And when Hochul signed the bill in December, Riendeau said in a statement: "Almost 16 years later, my fight for safer roadways has been acted upon. I know Angelica is proud."

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie