Attorney General James Announces Guilty Plea of Former NYPD Officer for Criminally Negligent Homicide

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the guilty plea of former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officer Bernadine Thomas, 36, of Maybrook, Orange County for causing her husband’s death while driving at speeds of up to 109 MPH with a blood alcohol content of .10 on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Rockland County on February 26, 2023. Thomas pleaded guilty today to Criminally Negligent Homicide before County Court Judge Kevin Russo in Rockland County.

Thomas will remain out on bail until sentencing on May 7, 2025. For pleading guilty to the charge of Criminally Negligent Homicide, she will serve five years’ probation. Thomas has waived her right to appeal.

In the early morning hours of February 26, 2023, Thomas, who was off-duty at the time, was driving northbound with her husband in the passenger seat on the Palisades Interstate Parkway when their car went off the road and struck a tree. Mr. Thomas was declared dead at the scene.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.