December 16, 2025

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today released footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Royan Thomas, who died on September 27, 2025 following a motor vehicle incident involving an off-duty New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer in Queens.

At approximately 7:58 p.m., an off-duty NYPD officer was driving on Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens. As the officer made a left-hand turn onto Linden Boulevard, his vehicle collided with a motorcycle. The operator of the motorcycle was pronounced dead on the scene. A motorcycle passenger was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Office of Special Investigation (OSI) of the Attorney General's Office released footage from nearby cameras that captured the incident. The release of this footage follows Attorney General James' directive that camera footage obtained by her office during an OSI investigation be released to the public to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

Pursuant to New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections 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. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI's assessment indicates an officer may have caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime.

Warning: This video contains content that viewers may find disturbing.