Attorney General James Announces Indictment and Arraignment of Former NYPD Officer and Civilian on Manslaughter Charges

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the indictment and arraignment of former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officer Stanley Cadet, 27, of North Babylon, and Kayla Lopez, 28, of Bayshore, on charges of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Assault in the Second and Third Degrees, Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, Reckless Driving, Excessive Speed, and Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device. The indictment alleges that on May 11, 2024, Officer Cadet and Lopez were dangerously speeding when their vehicles collided, ejecting and killing passenger Anna Wilson, and causing injury to three other passengers. Officer Cadet was off-duty and driving his personal car at the time.

Former Officer Cadet and Lopez were arraigned today before Judge Ambro in Suffolk County and were released on supervised release. Former Officer Cadet and Lopez are due back in court on November 17, 2025. The maximum sentence is an indeterminate sentence of five to 15 years in prison.

The factual allegations are that at 2:20 a.m. on May 11, 2024, Officer Cadet and Lopez were driving in their personal vehicles at a speed of more than 100 MPH on Union Boulevard in West Islip. Both vehicles proceeded through a steady red light and drove side-by-side for a half mile in a single lane roadway. When the vehicles reached the Route 231 overpass between Union Boulevard and John Street, they collided. Lopez lost control of her vehicle and struck multiple telephone poles. Ms. Wilson, who was a passenger in Lopez’s vehicle, was ejected from the car. Ms. Wilson was transported to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Another passenger in Lopez’s vehicle suffered serious injuries as a result of the collision.

Pursuant to New York Executive Law Section 70-b, the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer may have caused the death of a person by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

On August 8, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order appointing the Attorney General’s Office as a special prosecutor to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute matters relating to the death of Anna Wilson and the injury of another passenger on May 11, 2024.

Criminal charges are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty at trial or by plea.