(WNY News Now) – Former NYPD Sergeant Tiffany Howell has been sentenced to four to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges in a wrong-way crash that killed Manuel Boitel on the Taconic State Parkway in Westchester County.

NEW YORK — Former New York City Police Department Sergeant Tiffany Howell, 48, of Warwick, Orange County, has been sentenced to prison for causing a fatal crash while driving under the influence of alcohol, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced.

Howell received concurrent prison sentences of four to 12 years after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, a Class B felony, and manslaughter in the second degree, a Class C felony. She entered the guilty pleas on August 19, 2026, before Westchester County Court Judge Anne B. Bianchi. Her driver’s license has been revoked, and she waived her right to appeal.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, the crash occurred at approximately 11:37 p.m. on January 22, 2026.

Howell, who was off duty at the time, was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of the Taconic State Parkway at more than 50 mph when her vehicle struck a car driven by Manuel Boitel head-on.

Authorities reported that Howell had a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.18 at the time of the collision, more than twice New York’s standard legal limit of 0.08 for most drivers.

Boitel was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.

The case was investigated under the authority of the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI).

Under New York Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses incidents in which a police officer or peace officer may have caused a person’s death through an act or omission. The law applies whether the officer was on or off duty and regardless of whether the person who died was armed or in custody.

When an initial assessment indicates that an officer may have caused a death, OSI proceeds with a full investigation.