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NYPD fires officer who drove wrong way on Henry Hudson Parkway, killing 2
By
Charles Lane
Published Apr 8, 2026
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Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
By
Charles Lane
Published Apr 8, 2026
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An NYPD officer who chased a pickup truck the wrong way on the Henry Hudson Parkway in an off-duty pursuit that killed two people in 2024 has been fired from the department, according to disciplinary records recently posted to the NYPD’s website.
Police Officer Boubacar Barry, who was assigned to the Transit Bureau, was dismissed in January after being found guilty of all five departmental charges against him, including reckless driving, making misleading statements to investigators and failing to render emergency assistance.
An attorney for Barry did not return messages seeking comment.
A pickup truck driven by 17-year-old Jimmy Connors sideswiped Barry’s vehicle near 96th Street, according to the disciplinary records. Barry called 911 to report the hit-and-run and identified himself as a police officer.
He continued pursuing the truck despite being told twice by the 911 operator to pull over and wait for police, the records say.
Connors then drove onto the parkway going the wrong way against traffic, and Barry pursued him for roughly half a mile before Connors crashed head-on into a Dodge sedan near West 165th Street, according to police records.
The collision killed the sedan’s driver, Kirk Walker, and his cousin, Robert Todd McLaurin, who was in the passenger seat, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Connors fled the scene on foot and was detained the next day at the Canadian border, prosecutors said. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of leaving the scene of a fatal incident.
After the crash, Barry turned his car around so it faced the correct direction of traffic. The departmental judge, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Jeff S. Adler, wrote in his ruling that was “a conscious effort to conceal that he had been driving against traffic.” Barry did not render aid to the victims or call for an ambulance, the records state.
When officers arrived, Barry told them he had pulled over after the 911 call and did not know how the pickup ended up going the wrong way, according to the records.
Surveillance and body camera footage directly contradicted those claims, according to the records. He repeated misleading accounts in a follow-up interview with internal affairs investigators two months later, the records state.
“Respondent acted in a manner not befitting a trained police officer,” Adler wrote. Barry’s “obsessive pursuit” of the truck demonstrated “a selfish and blatant disregard for the safety of other motorists,” Adler wrote.
The families of both victims have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Barry, Connors, the city and the NYPD. Attorneys for the victims did not return messages.
A GoFundMe page organized by colleagues described Barry as “one of the hardest workers in the command” and a “devoted husband and girl dad to two beautiful young daughters.” The page raised about $11,000.
Barry had no prior disciplinary history and had received two medals for excellent police duty, according to his personnel record.
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Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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