By Michele Evans / NYweeklyRecord.com / Date: 10/29/2026
Category: Criminal Courts / NYPD Accountability / Victim Justice / Public Safety
NEW YORK CITY, NY – A former NYPD sergeant has been sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for a drunken wrong-way crash that killed 61-year-old Manuel Boitel as he drove home from work.
Tiffany Howell, 48, pleaded guilty in August to aggravated vehicular homicide and second-degree manslaughter. Westchester County Judge Anne Bianchi imposed concurrent prison terms Wednesday. Howell’s driver’s license was revoked, and she waived her right to appeal.
The fatal collision happened shortly before midnight on January 22 on the Taconic State Parkway. Prosecutors said Howell drove south in the northbound lanes at more than 50 miles per hour before striking Boitel’s vehicle head-on.
Her blood alcohol level was at least 0.18, more than twice New York’s legal limit. Boitel was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after midnight.
Boitel was a husband, father and Manhattan doorman from Peekskill. His family told the court that the sentence did not reflect the scale of what was taken from them. They described a man whose work, care and daily presence anchored their family.
Howell was off duty when the crash occurred. She retired after her arrest following 18 years with the NYPD. In court, she apologized and said she accepted responsibility for her actions.
The case was prosecuted by the state Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation. State law requires that office to assess deaths that may have been caused by police or peace officers, whether the officer was on duty or off duty.
That mandate matters because a badge can complicate public confidence in ordinary criminal accountability. Here, the investigation produced felony pleas, a prison sentence, license revocation and a waiver of appeal.
The sentence also leaves a public question that cannot be answered by a prison term. Boitel’s family said four to 12 years was not enough, and no court order can restore the life or future they lost.
The accountability record is now clear. Howell admitted the crimes, the court imposed punishment, and the state publicly identified the conduct and consequences. The human cost belongs to Manuel Boitel’s family, who will live with the absence long after the case closes.
Sources
New York Attorney General: Sentencing of Former NYPD Sergeant
ABC7 New York: Former NYPD Sergeant Sentenced in Fatal Taconic Crash
Gothamist: Ex-NYPD Sergeant Sentenced in Deadly Drunken Crash
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