The New York Attorney General’s Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit has opened an investigation into the death of Monica Goods, who died December 22 after a vehicle she was a passenger in crashed and overturned while being pursued by state troopers on the Thruway in Ulster County.
In announcing the investigation, the AG cites Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 147, which “confers upon the Attorney General exclusive authority to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute cases in which a law enforcement officer causes the death of an unarmed civilian, as well as cases in which the Attorney General has determined that there is a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous at the time his or her death was caused.”
According to police, troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, a 2017 Dodge Journey, at approximately 11:40 p.m. on I-87 in the town of Ulster for a vehicle and traffic violation. Shortly after the traffic stop was initiated, the driver fled the scene northbound and a pursuit ensued. Police said around mile marker 93.6, a collision occurred and the Dodge lost control and overturned, injuring driver Tristan G. Goods, 39, of Hollis, NY, and killing Monica Goods, 11, of Brooklyn. “The investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available,” reads a police press release.
The victim’s mother, Michelle Surrency, told the Daily News there is more to the story. She said her daughter’s father fled only after being pepper-sprayed, and was then rammed by a police cruiser, which caused the fatal crash. She said her other daughter, 12, who survived the crash, told her what happened. “[N]o traffic ticket should end someone’s life,” she said.
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