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NYPD cop killed in NY State Thruway head-on collision

An 59-year-old off-duty NYPD police officer was killed in a head-on collision in upstate New York early Tuesday, state police said.

The other driver, who was going the wrong way on the northbound New York State Thruway, was also killed in the crash, state police said.

Richard Christopher, 32, crashed his 2002 Dodge Dakota into police officer James DeVito’s 2003 Honda CRV just before 7 a.m. in Suffern, state police said. DeVito lived in Airmont, N.Y., just east of Suffern.

It was not immediately clear how fast Christopher was driving or why he was traveling south in the northbound lanes.

DeVito’s history with the police department was not immediately available.

The thruway was temporarily closed for about two hours, state police said.