A 25-year-old New York state corrections officer pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree vehicular manslaughter for a drunk-driving crash in Chateaugay that killed his passenger, 49-year-old Jennifer Hathorn, back in January. Ryan Bordeau, of Malone, entered the plea before Judge Craig P. Carriero in Franklin County Court and was immediately remanded to county jail to await sentencing.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the guilty plea, saying Bordeau admitted to driving drunk and causing Hathorn’s death in Chateaugay. According to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office, Bordeau pleaded guilty to Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree before Judge Carriero in Franklin County Court. Bordeau is due back in court for sentencing on January 8, 2027, and has waived his right to appeal, the office said.
What Happened on State Route 11
The crash unfolded shortly before 11 p.m. on January 27, when Bordeau was driving on State Route 11 in Chateaugay. Per the Attorney General’s Office, Bordeau lost control of his vehicle, which left the roadway and crashed; Hathorn, a passenger in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene during the early morning hours of January 28. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, the office’s statement noted.
Bordeau was off duty at the time and driving drunk, with Hathorn as his passenger, according to WCAX. As reported by WWNY, New York State Police responded to the crash scene and arrested Bordeau the following day, January 28.
Charges, Arraignment and Suspension
State police charged Bordeau with Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a class D felony, along with two counts of misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated. He was arraigned in Malone Town Court on January 28, where the court released him on his own recognizance, the same account notes. The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision suspended Bordeau after the incident, per the same source.
The Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation opened an investigation into Hathorn’s death on January 30, three days after the crash. A separate statement from the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation said that shortly before 11:20 p.m. on January 27, an off-duty DOCCS officer was driving on State Route 11 in Chateaugay when he apparently lost control of the vehicle, causing it to leave the roadway.
Why the Attorney General Got Involved
Under New York state law, incidents involving police or peace officers fall under the Attorney General’s review regardless of whether the officer was on duty or off duty at the time, and regardless of whether the person who died was armed or unarmed, or in custody or not. The Attorney General’s Office assesses every reported incident in which a police officer or peace officer may have caused a person’s death by act or omission, and conducts a full investigation through its Office of Special Investigation when that assessment indicates an officer may have caused a death.
Bordeau now sits in Franklin County jail awaiting his sentencing date in January, having already given up his right to challenge the plea on appeal. The exact sentence he will face has not been disclosed; only the January 8, 2027 court date has been set.
