Former NYPD Cop Avoids Jail Time In Fatal High-Speed Crash

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — A disgraced NYPD officer has been sentenced for a high-speed drunken crash in Rockland County that left her husband dead.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Thursday the sentencing of former NYPD officer Bernadine Thomas, 36, of Maybrook in Orange County, for causing her husband's death while driving at speeds of up to 109 miles per hour, with a blood alcohol content of .10, on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in 2023.

She pleaded guilty on February 3, to criminally negligent homicide in a plea deal.

As part of the plea, Thomas has been sentenced to five years' probation for the charge of criminally negligent homicide, and has waived her right to appeal.

SEE ALSO: Former NYPD Cop Guilty Of Criminally Negligent Homicide In Crash

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, near exit 13, when their car went off the road and struck a tree.

Her husband, Chevy Thomas, was declared dead at the scene.

The Office of Special Investigation 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 victim may be armed or unarmed. Also, the victim may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI's assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, they will conduct a full investigation of the incident, according to state law.