Former New York State Police Trooper Christopher Baldner was convicted Thursday of second-degree manslaughter in the death of 11-year-old Monica Goods after ramming a vehicle during a traffic stop on the New York State Thruway in 2020.
Letitia James, the Office of the New York State Attorney General, said a jury in Ulster County Court found Baldner, 47, of Catskill, guilty after a trial over the fatal crash that followed a late-night pursuit.
Second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison. Judge Bryan Rounds continued Baldner’s bail at $100,000. Sentencing is set for June 2, 2026.
“I offer my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of Monica Goods,” James said. “While nothing can bring Monica back, this verdict is some semblance of justice for her loved ones.”
Prosecutors said the incident occurred on Dec. 22, 2020, at about 11:40 p.m. when Tristin Goods was driving north on the New York State Thruway in Ulster County with his wife and two daughters, ages 11 and 12, while traveling home for the Christmas holiday.
Near mile marker 92, Baldner, on patrol in a marked New York State Police vehicle, stopped the family car for speeding.
During the stop, Baldner deployed pepper spray into the vehicle’s interior, prosecutors said. Tristin Goods then drove away from the scene.
Authorities said Baldner pursued the car and rammed the rear of the vehicle twice with his police cruiser. After the second impact, the Goods vehicle struck a center guardrail, flipped, and came to rest upside down.
The crash ejected Monica Goods from the vehicle, causing her death, according to prosecutors.
The conviction concludes a prosecution brought by the attorney general’s office related to the fatal pursuit on the Thruway in Ulster County.
