Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon announced today that the man responsible for a May 2023 car crash that took the life of a high school senior pleaded guilty on Wednesday.

Thomas McGrath, 73, pleaded guilty in front of the Honorable Andra Ackerman in Albany County Court to one count of Manslaughter in the Second Degree and one count Driving While Ability Impaired.

McGrath will face up to 12 years in state prison when he is sentenced on June 16.

McGrath was driving on Route 85 in Bethlehem on May 11, 2023, when he crossed the centerline and struck a car driven by 17-year-old Michael Kleinke, a senior at Colonie High School. Kleinke died in the hospital two days later due to his injuries.

Bethlehem Police arrested McGrath after he tested positive for a combination of narcotics and medications.

Assistant District Attorneys Collin D’Arcy and Elizabeth Jektyan of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau prosecuted the case.