Five Drugs, One Deadly Hudson Valley Crash, Now A Guilty Plea

An Ulster County man confessed to an impaired crash that killed a Dutchess County man.

A Kingston man pleaded guilty to causing a 2025 head-on crash that killed a Hyde Park man.

Guilty Plea In Fatal Crash In Dutchess County, New York

DCDA

Prosecutors say 47-year-old Richard Rider of Kingston pleaded guilty to Vehicular Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class C Felony, and Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combined Influence of Drugs, a Class E Felony.

He admitted to crossing into oncoming traffic while impaired by several drugs around 4:30 p.m. on December 14, 2025, p.m. on Albany Post Road near Huyler Drive, in the Town of Hyde Park.

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Rider's white Ford F-150 hit a Honda Accord head-on. The Honda driver, Alijah M. Johnson, 28, of Hyde Park, was killed in the crash.

Sweet’s Funeral Home,

"This guilty plea holds Richard Rider accountable for the devastating consequences of choosing to get behind the wheel while impaired by drugs. One reckless decision claimed the life of Alijah Johnson and forever changed the lives of his loved ones," Dutchess County District Attorney Anthony Parisi told Hudson Valley Post.

Under The Influence Of 5 Substances

DCDA/Sweet’s Funeral Home,

Officials say that blood analyses revealed that Rider was driving under the concurrent influence of five distinct impairing substances:

• Clonazepam
• Diazepam
• Nordiazepam
• Delta-9-THC
• Methadone

"A crash reconstruction investigation established that Rider failed to maintain his lane of travel and took no evasive action in the five seconds leading up to the collision," the Dutchess County DA's office told Hudson Valley Post.

At the time of the crash, Rider still possessed a valid driver's license, despite five prior DWI-related arrests and a prior felony driving while intoxicated conviction.

Expected To Be Sentenced To 6 To 12 Years

As part of the plea agreement, Rider was promised a sentence of 6 to 12 years in New York State Prison. Rider is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

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