Off-duty NYPD sergeant kills driver in wrong-way crash on Taconic State Parkway, New York State Police say

An off-duty New York City police sergeant was driving the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway and crashed head-on into an oncoming car, killing the other driver, New York State Police said. 

Tiffany Howell, a member of the NYPD, was driving an Infiniti south in the northbound lanes in Mount Pleasant when the fatal crash with a Toyota occurred at around 11:40 p.m. Thursday, officials said. 

The other driver, 61-year-old Manuel Boitel, of Peekskill, was rushed by first responders to Westchester Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.

Howell, 47, of Warwick, was taken to the hospital after suffering what officials said appeared to be non-life threatening injuries.

The New York State Attorney General's Office was notified about the crash and an investigation is ongoing, state police said. That is required by law with incidents involving officers. 

The Attorney General's Office said its Office of Special Investigation was conducting a preliminary assessment of the matter.

Howell was placed on modified duty.   

Family mourns husband and father killed

Manuel Boitel's son Marvin was awoken early Friday morning by his brother, Eric, after their mom noticed their father's GPS tracker showed the same spot on the Taconic State Parkway for over an hour. 

The brothers drove to the location and saw the wreckage of the wrong-way collision involving their dad's car. 

Initially, they were told by first responders that their father was unresponsive at the scene and was able to be resuscitated, but only for a short time after. 

"Unfortunately, he wasn't able to make it," Marvin Boitel said through tears. "The last thing I thought was that we were gonna find out that he ... passed away." 

Manuel Boitel's family said he was on his way home from the night shift as a doorman at a condominium complex on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a job he had for 30 years. 

"Just two years, he would've retired with his full pension and everything," his son Marvin said. 

"He always looked out for us, always made sure that we were OK, his family was OK, and he was a very, very, very gentle person," his son Eric said. 

"The fact that it was an officer ... that's what stings the most"  

The brothers also said their father was a strong supporter of the police force. He donated to the National Police Defense Foundation and at one time wanted to be an NYPD officer. 

"I think he more or less settled down on that dream when I was born because he didn't want to do something that would put him in danger," Marvin Boitel said. "The fact that it was an officer ... that's what stings the most. He was a big advocate for them." 

Manuel Boitel was a native of the Dominican Republic and came to the U.S. in his late teens, before meeting his wife of many decades. She was too distraught to speak about the loss of her husband. 

The couple's sons said they'll remember their father for his sense of humor, saying he touched the lives of those who got to know him. 

"God gained a beautiful, gentle angel yesterday. But to that off-duty officer, I hope it haunts you for taking such a wonderful person from this world," Eric Boitel said. "I hope you think about it every single day of your life."