Trooper Chase Death
Former NY Trooper Baldner Sentenced for Manslaughter in 11-Year-Old Monica Goods' Death
Key Points
Baldner’s sentencing hearing in Ulster County Court lasted more than four hours, according to reporting from Hudson Valley News 12.
The Attorney General said the traffic stop occurred at 11:40 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2020, when Tristin Goods was driving north with his wife and two young daughters home for Christmas near mile marker 92—before Baldner pepper-sprayed the car and the chase began.
Court papers cited by Spectrum Local News said Baldner pursued the Dodge Journey for about a mile at speeds around 120 mph before ramming the SUV twice.
WNYT reported that the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation reviews “every reported case” where an officer or peace officer may have caused a death, applying the review under state law regardless of whether the officer was on or off duty and regardless of whether the person who died was armed, unarmed, in custody or not.
CBS News New York reported that Monica Goods’ family was expected to read impact statements at sentencing, and that Baldner faced up to 15 years in prison.
Former New York State Police trooper Christopher Baldner was sentenced to 2½ to 7½ years in prison on June 2, 2026, for the death of 11-year-old Monica Goods. AP reported that a judge in Ulster County Court handed down the sentence after Baldner was convicted of second-degree manslaughter in March 2026. The case stems from a deadly high-speed chase on the night of December 22, 2020.
Baldner, a 19-year veteran of the state police, pepper-sprayed a family's SUV during a traffic stop and then rammed it twice at speeds reaching 130 mph. Monica was ejected when the vehicle flipped. Her mother, Michelle Surrency, said after the verdict: "Accountability is not justice. Justice is my child being back."
A Christmas Eve Traffic Stop Turned Fatal
At 11:40 p.m. on December 22, 2020, Baldner pulled over Tristin Goods near mile marker 92 on the New York State Thruway. Goods was driving home for Christmas with his wife and two young daughters, ages 11 and 12, according to the New York Attorney General's Office. Baldner stopped the family for traveling 101 mph.
A heated argument followed. Baldner pepper-sprayed the vehicle, and Goods fled. Spectrum Local News reported that Baldner then pursued the Dodge Journey for about a mile at speeds around 120 mph before ramming the SUV twice from behind. The second strike caused the car to flip. Monica was ejected and killed.
Six Years of Legal Battles Before a Final Verdict
Baldner was indicted in October 2021 on charges including second-degree murder and manslaughter. The case hit major twists along the way. A judge dismissed the murder charge in 2023. An appeals court put it back in 2024. Then, at his first trial in November 2025, the jury acquitted Baldner of murder and reckless endangerment but could not agree on manslaughter — forcing a mistrial.
A retrial on the single manslaughter charge began February 17, 2026. On March 13, 2026, a jury found Baldner guilty. WRAL noted that Baldner had faced up to 15 years in prison. Judge Bryan Rounds sentenced him to 2½ to 7½ years. The sentencing hearing in Ulster County Court lasted more than four hours, according to News 12 Hudson Valley.
Baldner's History of Ramming Other Vehicles
The 2020 crash was not the first time Baldner used his patrol car to strike another vehicle. Court filings showed that in September 2019 he rammed a Dodge Caravan carrying three people on the Thruway, causing it to crash. Earlier incidents from 2017 were also cited. Prosecutors said Baldner knew ramming was dangerous — and was not an approved tactic under New York State Police policy.
Prosecutor Jennifer Gashi called Baldner's patrol car a "weapon" and described the incident as a "fatal abuse of power." The defense argued that Tristin Goods' refusal to comply with the stop caused the tragedy. Goods testified that he fled because he feared for his family after being pepper-sprayed, according to AJC.
Monica's Death Pushes New York Toward Pursuit Reform
In June 2025, Attorney General Letitia James released a report called "Improving Policing and Public Safety: Problems Presented by Police and Vehicle Pursuits." The report called for banning high-speed chases for minor traffic offenses like speeding. It also pushed for a rule that chases only be allowed when a driver has committed a violent felony or poses an "imminent threat of death."
The national scale of the problem is stark. An average of 355 people died each year in pursuit-related crashes in the U.S. between 1996 and 2015 — nearly one per day. James said after sentencing: "While nothing can bring Monica back, this verdict is some semblance of justice." The Goods family also filed a civil lawsuit in April 2022, which is still working through the courts, according to WBAL.
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