Mount Vernon Woman Indicted 18 Months After I-684 Crash Killed Retired FDNY Firefighter

A Mount Vernon woman was arraigned in Putnam County Supreme Court on Monday on charges including second-degree manslaughter, more than a year and a half after a rollover crash on Interstate 684 killed a retired FDNY firefighter from New Milford, Connecticut. Makayla S. McIntyre was released on her own recognizance following the arraignment and is due back in court on September 29 at 9:30 a.m.

The crash happened around 7:15 a.m. on January 26, 2025, in the Town of Southeast, according to Daily Voice. New York State Police say McIntyre lost control of her vehicle while traveling north on I-684, struck a guiderail, and crossed all lanes of traffic before colliding with a car driven by 65-year-old Michael T. Keller. Both vehicles overturned and came to rest in the highway's center embankment, a sequence News 12 Hudson Valley detailed in its report on the state police's preliminary investigation.

Keller, a resident of the Candlewood Point community in New Milford, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a retired firefighter with the Fire Department of the City of New York, according to background reported by NewsTimes. McIntyre was taken to Danbury Hospital in Connecticut for treatment of minor injuries, per The Legal Advocate, which noted she was transported across state lines because Danbury was the nearest hospital equipped to treat her.

Grand Jury Handed Down Indictment More Than a Year Later

A Putnam County grand jury indicted McIntyre on August 10, roughly 18 months after the original crash, the timeline underscored by the same Daily Voice report that first identified her. State police announced her arrest and the charges the following week. Beyond second-degree manslaughter, she was also charged with criminally negligent homicide, second-degree assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and multiple other violations of New York's Vehicle and Traffic Law.

The gap between the crash and the indictment reflects the scope of the case prosecutors built. Criminal cases from major vehicular incidents in the Town of Southeast fall under the Putnam County District Attorney's Office, led by District Attorney Robert V. Tendy, which presents felony cases to a county grand jury before they move to Putnam County Supreme Court, according to background from Proto, Sachs & Brown, LLP.

What McIntyre Is Facing Under New York Law

The top charge, second-degree manslaughter under Penal Law § 125.15, is a Class C felony carrying a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in state prison, according to the New York State Senate. Second-degree assault, a Class D felony under Penal Law § 120.05, carries up to seven years, per guidance from Tilem & Associates. Criminally negligent homicide, a Class E felony under Penal Law § 125.10, carries a maximum of four years, according to a breakdown from Joey Jackson Law.

Those maximums represent the statutory ceiling for each charge and do not reflect any sentence McIntyre would necessarily receive if convicted. Her case is now set to proceed through Putnam County Supreme Court, with her next appearance scheduled for September 29.

A Dangerous Stretch of Highway

The section of I-684 running through Southeast has seen a string of serious wrecks in recent years. New York State Police have reported a fatal crash near mile marker 26.4 on April 10, 2025, that killed a 74-year-old Bronx passenger, and a three-car crash on June 21, 2026, that injured three people and sparked vehicle fires. The corridor is regularly patrolled by New York State Police Troop K out of the Brewster barracks, which partners with the Putnam County District Attorney's Office on highway safety enforcement efforts including the DA's Safer Highway Initiative, according to state police.