On December 22, 2020, 11-year-old Monica Goods was riding with her family on the New York State Thruway when a traffic stop by New York State Trooper Christopher Baldner turned into a deadly pursuit. The Goods family was traveling north for the Christmas holiday when Baldner stopped the vehicle near mile marker 92 in Ulster County, according to the New York Attorney General’s Office.
What began as a speeding stop escalated after Baldner deployed pepper spray into the interior of the family’s vehicle. Monica’s father, Tristin Goods, drove away. Baldner then pursued the family vehicle in his marked State Police vehicle.
During that pursuit, prosecutors said Baldner rammed the rear of the Goods family’s vehicle twice. After the second impact, the vehicle skidded into the center guardrail, flipped over, and came to rest upside down. Monica Goods was ejected from the vehicle and died.
Baldner was later indicted in a case that drew public scrutiny because prosecutors alleged he had used his police vehicle as a weapon during the chase. The case also raised larger questions about police pursuits, escalation, and the use of patrol vehicles to end fleeing-driver incidents on public highways.
The criminal case took years to resolve. A previous trial ended without a manslaughter verdict, but on March 13, 2026, an Ulster County jury found Baldner guilty of Manslaughter in the Second Degree. The New York Attorney General’s Office said the conviction stemmed from Baldner’s role in causing Monica Goods’ death during the December 2020 pursuit.
On June 2, 2026, Baldner was sentenced to two and a half to seven and a half years in prison. He was remanded into custody after sentencing.
The case is another example of how a traffic stop can become fatal when police escalation turns a moving vehicle into the center of a force encounter. Monica Goods was a child passenger. She was not accused of any wrongdoing. She was riding with her family when a police pursuit ended with her death.
For Monica’s family, no sentence can undo what happened on the Thruway that night. For the public, the case remains a grim reminder that police decisions during pursuits can carry consequences far beyond the person behind the wheel.
Sources
- New York Attorney General: Former New York State Trooper Sentenced for Manslaughter
- New York Attorney General: Former New York State Trooper Convicted on Manslaughter Charge
- Associated Press: Ex-NY Trooper Sentenced in Chase That Killed 11-Year-Old Girl
- People v. Baldner, New York Appellate Division Decision
