NYPD Sgt. Finally Charged in Death of Beloved UES Doorman
An NYPD sergeant was charged with driving drunk and going the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway, killing a doorman who was just about to retire after more than 30 years as a doorman at the St. Tropez condos.
| 05 Mar 2026 | 03:11
Manny Boitel was a beloved doorman at the St. Tropez condo in Lenox Hill. He was killed when his car was hit by a car being driven by an alleged drunk, off-duty NYPD Sgt. going the wrong way down the Taconic State Parkway. She was arrested March 2. (
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NYPD Sgt. Tiffany Howell, was charged with having a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when when she slammed into car driven by Manuel Boitel, who was returning home from his job as a doorman at the St. Tropez condo on the UES. (
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For over 30 years, Manuel Boitel had worked as a doorman at the St. Tropez in Lenox Hill, earning the respect and love of tenants. He was killed by a drunk driver in January and on March 2, an off duty NYPD Sgt. was arrested in connection with his death. (
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An NYPD sergeant was charged on March 2 in the death of beloved Upper East Side doorman when the car that she was driving the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway slammed into the car being driven by Manuel Boitel.
The officer, Tiffany Howell, was said by prosecutors to have a blood alcohol level of 0.26, more than three times the legal limit of 0.8 when the 2021 Infiniti she was driving on Jan. 22 around 11:30 p.m. slammed into the 2024 Toyota Rav4 being driven by Boitel. He was heading north and was said to be only about 20 minutes from his home in Peekskill after getting off his shift at the St. Tropez condos at 340 E. 64th St. He was reportedly famed for his rapport with kids who grew up in the building and for dispensing doggie treats to neighbors’ pets.
The union 32 BJ of the Service Employees International Union said the 61-year-old doorman was looking forward to retirement at the time of his death.
“We have been deeply saddened to learn about the passing of our union brother Manuel Boitel,” said Manny Pastreich, President of 32BJ SEIU shortly after the tragic news of his death was revealed. “We honor his life and mourn his loss. Manuel put more than 30 years of service into making his condo building home, and he was taken just shy of enjoying the retirement he deserved.”
The NYPD said Howell was suspended on Feb. 2, two weeks after the tragic accident that killed Boitel as the office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James probed the charges and a grand jury was convened.
”She had no regard for his life or any other life for that matter as she drove into oncoming traffic,” the prosecuting attorney in the case, Allison Stuart, said at the hearing, according to the New York Times.
Ariel Moghaddam, a resident of the St. Tropez told Boitel;s hometown paper, the Peekskill Herald that he was a beloved doorman who had a particular rapport with the kids who grew up in the building under his watch.
“He was always willing to greet everybody in the building with a smile and good energy,” Moghaddam said. “He was always happy to be there. Everyone definitely feels his loss and is in a state of shock from what happened.”
Boitel and his wife Maria Cabrera Boitel were both from the Dominican Republic and met shortly after their arrived in New York City when they were both 17 years old. She was at the hearing in Westchester with her two adult sons Marvin and Eric Boitel and daughter-in-law Erika.
Howell, 41, an 18 year veteran of the NYPD now faces a four count felony indictment including vehicular homicide and three counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Howell was the treasurer of the NYPD Holy Name Society, a fraternal organization that was holding the Big Smoke 2026 at a cigar bar in Scarsdale, NY, on the night of the tragic accident.
Her attorney, Andrew Quinn, who represents the Sergeants Benevolent Association, had not returned a call by press time but reportedly told the court that she has a spotless record in the NYPD. “The nature of these allegations is just a stark departure from the behavior and characteristics she’s displayed her entire life,” he said.
Howell is a of Warwick, NY, in Orange County and is married with two teenage sons. She is due back in court on March 18 before Judge Anne B. Bianchi. The maximum sentence on the top count is eight and one-third to 25 years in prison.
On the night of the accident, Boitel’s wife reportedly grew worried around midnight when he had not arrived home. Her sons noticed from their fathers GPS that he had remained at the same location on the Taconic State Parkway for a half hour. The two sons drove to the site in Mount Pleasant and saw the wrecked cars. First responders told them that their father was injured and had been taken to Westchester County Hospital, but he died from his injuries about an hour later shortly after midnight on Jan. 23.
Ismenia Mejia Cabrera started a GoFundMe fundraiser for her cousins and her aunt who was married to Boitel for 42 years. It has raised over $71,000 toward a goal of $75,000 by March 5.
“He was always the first to help others, often putting the needs of those around him before his own,” she wrote. “The irony is that he regularly donated to funds supporting police officers, as he always dreamed of becoming one himself.”
“Manny was always so kind to us and everyone around him ,” wrote Danny Hernandez and Courtney Lee on the GoFundMe page. “His presence is already greatly missed. We will keep him and your family in our prayers.”