New York Consolidated Laws

N.Y. Penal Law § 125.12 (2026)

Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree

✓ current as of May 2026
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§ 125.12 Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree.
  A person is guilty of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree when
he or she causes the death of another person, and either:
  (1) operates a motor vehicle in violation of subdivision two, three,
four or four-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of the vehicle and
traffic law or operates a vessel or public vessel in violation of
paragraph (b), (c), (d) or (e) of subdivision two of section
forty-nine-a of the navigation law, and as a result of such intoxication
or impairment by the use of a drug, or by the combined influence of
drugs or of alcohol and any drug or drugs, operates such motor vehicle,
vessel or public vessel in a manner that causes the death of such other
person, or
  (2) operates a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of
more than eighteen thousand pounds which contains flammable gas,
radioactive materials or explosives in violation of subdivision one of
section eleven hundred ninety-two of the vehicle and traffic law, and
such flammable gas, radioactive materials or explosives is the cause of
such death, and as a result of such impairment by the use of alcohol,
operates such motor vehicle in a manner that causes the death of such
other person, or
  (3) operates a snowmobile in violation of paragraph (b), (c) or (d) of
subdivision one of section 25.24 of the parks, recreation and historic
preservation law or operates an all terrain vehicle as defined in
paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section twenty-two hundred
eighty-one of the vehicle and traffic law in violation of subdivision
two, three, four, or four-a of section eleven hundred ninety-two of the
vehicle and traffic law, and as a result of such intoxication or
impairment by the use of a drug, or by the combined influence of drugs
or of alcohol and any drug or drugs, operates such snowmobile or all
terrain vehicle in a manner that causes the death of such other person.
  If it is established that the person operating such motor vehicle,
vessel, public vessel, snowmobile or all terrain vehicle caused such
death while unlawfully intoxicated or impaired by the use of alcohol or
a drug, then there shall be a rebuttable presumption that, as a result
of such intoxication or impairment by the use of alcohol or a drug, or
by the combined influence of drugs or of alcohol and any drug or drugs,
such person operated the motor vehicle, vessel, public vessel,
snowmobile or all terrain vehicle in a manner that caused such death, as
required by this section.
  Vehicular manslaughter in the second degree is a class D felony.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 104 cases (11 in the last 5 years), 1985–2026 · leading case: People v. Caden N., 2020 NY Slip Op 05979 (N.Y. App. Div. 2020).
People v. Caden N., 2020 NY Slip Op 05979 (N.Y. App. Div. 2020). · cites it 7× “in a manner that causes the death of such other person" (Penal Law § 125.12 [1]). Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 (4) provides that "[n]o person shall operate a motor vehicle while the person's ability to [do so] is impaired by the use of a drug.”
People v. Ferguson, 2021 NY Slip Op 02563 (N.Y. App. Div. 2021). · cites it 4× “To convict defendant of the two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide charged in counts 1 and 5 of the indictment, [FN1] the People had to demonstrate that defendant engaged in reckless driving, as that term is defined in Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1212, that he committed…”
People v. Litto, 872 N.E.2d 848 (NY 2007). · cites it 2× “15 [1]), vehicular manslaughter in the second degree (Penal Law § 125.12), criminally negligent homicide (Penal Law § 125.”
United States v. Gomez-Leon, 545 F.3d 777 (9th Cir. 2008). · cites it 2× “[19] N.Y. Penal Law § 125.12 (offense called "vehicular manslaughter in the second degree" and requires no element of mens rea if driver was intoxicated and intoxication resulted in killing of another person according to the "Practice Commentary" found at N.”
People v. Goldblatt, 98 A.D.3d 817 (N.Y. App. Div. 2012). · cites it 4× “The elements of aggravated vehicular homicide are statutorily defined as being comprised of two existing crimes, reckless driving (see Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1212) and vehicular manslaughter in the second degree (see Penal Law § 125.12), as well as any one of seven…”
People v. Prescott, 745 N.E.2d 1000 (NY 2001). “04) or vehicular manslaughter in the first or second degrees (Penal Law §§ 125.12, 125.13). 5 . In addition to the administrative and criminal sanctions available under the statute, a sentencing court is given the authority to require a defendant to attend a victims impact…”
People v. Stickler, 97 A.D.3d 854 (N.Y. App. Div. 2012). · cites it 5× “Defendant moved to dismiss the indictment on the ground that Penal Law § 125.12, defining vehicular manslaughter, is unconstitutional.”
People v. Drouin, 115 A.D.3d 1153 (N.Y. App. Div. 2014). · cites it 3× “Memorandum: Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting her, upon a jury verdict, of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree (Penal Law § 125.12 [1]) and criminally negligent homicide (§ 125.”
Corbin v. Hillery, 543 N.E.2d 714 (NY 1989). · cites it 2× “15 [1]), two counts of second degree vehicular manslaughter (Penal Law § 125.12), 2 one count of criminally negligent homicide (Penal *285 Law § 125.”
People v. O'Brien, 2020 NY Slip Op 04971 (N.Y. App. Div. 2020). · cites it 4× “The defendant's contention that the counts of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree under counts 4 through 7 of the indictment ( see Penal Law § 125.12[1]) were multiplicitous is unpreserved for appellate review ( see CPL 470.”
People v. Baker, 14 Misc. 3d 629 (2006). · cites it 8× “Defendant challenges count two of a five-count indictment, charging him with vehicular manslaughter in the second degree as defined in Penal Law § 125.12 (1), a class D felony, on the grounds that the statute defining the offense is unconstitutional or otherwise invalid (CPL 210.”
People v. Hoffman, 130 A.D.3d 1152 (N.Y. App. Div. 2015). · cites it 2× “As relevant here, a person is guilty of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree when he or she operates a motor vehicle in violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192 (2), (3) or (4-a) thereby causing the death of another person (see Penal Law § 125.12 [1]). In our view,…”
— N.Y. Penal Law § 125.12(1) — 4 cases
People v. O'Brien, 2020 NY Slip Op 04971 (N.Y. App. Div. 2020). “The defendant's contention that the counts of vehicular manslaughter in the second degree under counts 4 through 7 of the indictment ( see Penal Law § 125.12[1]) were multiplicitous is unpreserved for appellate review ( see CPL 470.”
Matter of Dobson v. New York State Dept. of Motor Vehs., 2023 NY Slip Op 03863 (N.Y. App. Div. 2023).
People v. Bieneme, 2026 NY Slip Op 50301(U) (Tompkins Cty Ct. 2026).
People v. Bieneme, 2026 NY Slip Op 50301(U) (Tompkins Cty Ct. 2026).
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