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Arrested on Long Island: A Guide for Staten Island Residents
Staten Island is the hardest trip on this list, and it is the one borough where we usually tell people to drive. If you were arrested on Long Island and live on Staten Island, there is no rail link east — every train trip means a ferry, a subway and then the LIRR, and a 9:30 a.m. call in Central Islip can mean leaving home before six.
Everything below on getting to Long Island court from Staten Island assumes a weekday morning calendar call, which is when most of these cases are heard. Times and fares are current as of September 2026 and should be checked before you travel.
Why the train is a last resort here
There is no LIRR service to Staten Island and no direct transit connection to Long Island. The route is the Staten Island Ferry to Whitehall, then the 1 train to Penn Station or the 4 or 5 to Grand Central for Grand Central Madison, then the LIRR. Riders coming from the South Shore add a Staten Island Railway leg before the ferry.
| Destination | Route | Realistic door to door | LIRR fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hempstead | Ferry, subway, Hempstead Branch from Penn or Grand Central Madison | 2 hr – 2 hr 30 | $13.50 peak / $10.00 off-peak |
| Central Islip | Ferry, subway, Ronkonkoma Branch, then two and a half miles by bus or cab | 2 hr 45 – 3 hr 15 | $21.50 peak / $16.00 off-peak |
For a 9:30 a.m. arraignment in Central Islip by train, that means leaving the house somewhere around 5:45 to 6:15 a.m. — and that is before the ferry runs late or the subway is rerouted.
Staten Island to Nassau County District Court, Hempstead
| How | Route | Rough time |
|---|---|---|
| Car | Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to the Belt Parkway east, then the Southern State to Exit 17 (Hempstead Avenue), 19 (Peninsula Boulevard) or 21 (Nassau Road) | 55–70 min clear, 90–130 in rush |
| Car, via Meadowbrook | Southern State to Exit 22, Meadowbrook north to Exit M4 (Route 24 west), then Fulton Avenue | Similar |
| Transit | Ferry, subway, Hempstead Branch. The courthouse is about two blocks from Hempstead station | 2 hr – 2 hr 30 |
Staten Island to Suffolk County District Court, Central Islip
| How | Route | Rough time |
|---|---|---|
| Car | Verrazzano to the Belt Parkway, Southern State east to Exit 43A (Carleton Avenue). Eastbound: left onto Spur Drive North, first right into the complex | 75–90 min clear, 110–150 in rush |
| Transit | Ferry, subway, Ronkonkoma Branch, then Suffolk County Transit Route 17 or a cab for the last two and a half miles | 2 hr 45 – 3 hr 15 |
The last two and a half miles are real. The Central Islip LIRR station is about two and a half miles from the Cohalan Court Complex — the figure is published by the federal bankruptcy court in the same complex and by Touro Law School, which sits inside it. Route 17 runs between them roughly every 30 minutes on weekday mornings for $2.25. On a three-hour trip, a missed connection here is what turns a long morning into a bench warrant.
Three hours each way is not a plan
Before you set an alarm for 5:30, call 516-939-1529. Some appearances can be handled by counsel or electronically, and Staten Island is exactly the situation those rules exist for.
Driving to Long Island court from Staten Island for work
This is a real problem on Staten Island, where a large share of clients drive vans and trucks for a living. The Verrazzano permits trucks — the lower level westbound clears about thirteen feet seven inches — but the Belt Parkway on the far side does not. Neither does the Southern State.
The legal route is the Verrazzano to the BQE (I-278), then the Long Island Expressway east. For Central Islip take the LIE to Exit 56, Route 111 south, Wheeler Road, Carleton Avenue. For Hempstead, come south off the LIE onto Route 24, Hempstead Turnpike, which becomes Fulton Avenue one block from the courthouse. This adds real time over the Belt and Southern State line — budget an extra twenty to thirty minutes, and leave accordingly.
What time to leave for Long Island court from Staten Island
- Hempstead by car: leave by 7:00 a.m.; earlier if the Verrazzano or Belt is backed up.
- Hempstead by transit: leave by 6:15 a.m.
- Central Islip by car: leave by 6:45 a.m.
- Central Islip by transit: leave by 5:45–6:15 a.m.
- Work van, either court: add 20–30 minutes to the car times above.
Long Island court from Staten Island: common questions
Is it worth driving instead of taking the train?
For most Staten Island clients, yes. This is the only borough where we say that. The transit route has three transfers and a bus at the end, and any one of them can go wrong.
Can I appear by video instead?
Possibly. Calendar calls and conferences can often be done electronically, and if you request a video arraignment and the court grants it on that basis, the only securing order available is release on your own recognizance. Ask before your first date, not after.
Where do I park?
Central Islip has a large on-site lot in the court complex — arrive early, because it also serves Supreme Court, Family Court, the federal courthouse and a law school. Hempstead has metered municipal fields beside the courthouse; the fare boxes take coins.
Do you have to make the trip to Long Island court from Staten Island at all?
Sometimes not. Whether your lawyer can cover a date without you depends on the stage of the case and on how it started — a desk appearance ticket leaves more room than a custodial arrest, and the judge decides either way. The rules, stage by stage with the statute for each, are on the main page for New York City residents.
One provision is worth knowing before your first date: under CPL 182.20(1)(b)(iv), if you ask to be arraigned by video and the court grants it on that basis, the only securing order available is release on your own recognizance. Whether that is the right move in your case is a conversation to have with a lawyer first, not a decision to make from Staten Island.
Tell us your court date before you plan the trip
Some of these appearances can be handled without you, and some cannot. Call 516-939-1529 and we will tell you which one yours is.
Long Island court from Staten Island: the short version
If you take one thing from this page, take this. Travelling to Long Island court from Staten Island is a two-part problem — the trip itself, and whether you need to make it at all.
- Check the courthouse on your ticket first. Nassau cases go to Hempstead, Suffolk cases from the five western towns to Central Islip, and an East End arrest goes to that town’s own justice court.
- Hempstead is walkable from the train. Central Islip is not. The Central Islip station sits about two and a half miles from the courthouse; Suffolk County Transit Route 17 covers the gap for $2.25.
- Calendars are called at 9:30 a.m. in both courts, with a magnetometer line before that. Be at the door by 8:45.
- If you drive a work vehicle, do not follow your phone. The parkways are closed to commercial traffic. Use the Long Island Expressway.
- Ask before every date whether you need to be there. On a three-hour trip this is the question that matters most — ask it before your first date, not after.
Hochhauser Criminal & DWI Defense
Richard Hochhauser
164 Jackson Street, Hempstead, NY 11550
Tel: 516-939-1529
RH@Hochhauserlaw.com
This page provides general information about New York criminal procedure and court logistics and is not legal advice. Court schedules, fares and transit routes change — confirm details with the court or carrier before you travel. Every case turns on its own facts.
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