Intoxicated Long Island woman mistakenly drives away in another driver's Mazda

Suffolk County officials say Ariel Salgado, 35, left a Patchogue bar on Saturday while heavily intoxicated on a mix of alcohol and drugs and mistakenly entered a gray 2020 Mazda CX-5 that was identical to her own. The rightful owner had left his keys in the vehicle, and Salgado’s own Mazda was parked only a few spots away. Deputies observed her driving at high speed on Waverly Avenue shortly after 3 a.m., noted the smell of alcohol, slurred speech, and failure on field-sobriety tests.

A license-plate check revealed the car had been reported stolen, leading to her arrest. The vehicle was returned to its owner, who declined to file charges, while Salgado faced multiple traffic and impaired-driving offenses and pleaded not guilty, with a court date set for August 21.