New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that the Office of Special Investigation will not pursue criminal charges against an off-duty New York City police officer who struck and killed a pedestrian in Rockland County.
The Office of Special Investigation determined that a prosecutor would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer committed a crime in the Dec. 13, 2025, death of William Huertas.
What happened to William Huertas?
William Huertas, an employee at a nearby Lowe's store, was walking across Route 303 in Orangeburg after his shift at about 9:05 p.m. when he was struck by an off-duty NYPD officer driving northbound in a personal vehicle.
Investigators reviewed security camera footage and found that Huertas was crossing the roadway outside
a marked crosswalk. Route 303 in that area consists of two northbound and two southbound travel lanes separated by a double-yellow centerline.
The officer applied the brakes seconds before the collision, immediately called 911 and, along with a civilian witness, performed life-saving measures until emergency responders arrived, according to the report.
Huertas was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Why prosecutors will not pursue charges
The investigation included interviews with the officer and civilian witnesses, as well as a review of security camera footage, 911 calls, collision-scene photographs and other evidence.
Investigators found no evidence that the officer was speeding, driving while distracted, impaired by drugs or alcohol, driving through a red light or stop sign, or otherwise operating the vehicle in a dangerous manner.
Under New York law, criminally negligent homicide requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a person failed to perceive a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death and that the failure represented a gross deviation from the standard of care expected of a reasonable person.
"The evidence does not establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer's conduct was a gross deviation from the standard that would have been observed by a reasonable person in the same circumstances, or that the officer failed to perceive a substantial and unjustifiable risk of death," the Attorney General's Office said in its report.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: No charges for off-duty NYPD officer in fatal Rockland crash
