A Binghamton woman is facing multiple felony charges after reportedly striking multiple trick-or-treaters with her vehicle on Halloween in the Town of Chenango.
On Friday, October 31, at approximately 7:48 p.m., Broome County Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol deputies and other emergency personnel responded to a motor vehicle accident involving multiple persons struck by a car on S. Morningside Dr. in the Town of Chenango. BCSO deputies, along with other first responders arrived within minutes of a 911 call reporting the incident and found the vehicle, that had struck multiple trick-or-treaters with an adult male still trapped underneath the vehicle. Utilizing car jacks, first responders were able to successfully extricate the victim from beneath the car.
Four victims were identified as being injured, three of which required emergency transport to the hospital. The driver of the vehicle involved in the crash was still on-scene and detained by deputies as the chaotic incident unfolded, with many trick or treaters still on the street.
Victims who were transported to Wilson Hospital for their injuries included the adult male who was trapped beneath the vehicle and sustained serious injuries to his torso and legs, an adult female who sustained injuries to her foot, and a 14-year-old old male who sustained serious injuries to his hip area. Another male was also struck by the vehicle, but did not require medical treatment on scene.
The subsequent investigation revealed that a 2025 Ford SUV, operated by 60-year-old Ann B. Affolder was backing out of a driveway on South Morningside Drive when the vehicle accelerated onto the street and struck the trick-or-treaters. Affolder was transported to the Broome County Sheriff’s Office, where standardized field sobriety testing was conducted. A BCSO Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) responded to assess. Affolder was determined to be impaired and a small amount of methamphetamine was also found to be in her possession.
Following an investigation, Ann B. Affolder was charged with the following:
- Vehicular Assault in the 1st Degree, a Class D Felony
- Vehicular Assault in the 2nd Degree, a Class E Felony
- Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, a Misdemeanor
- Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance in the 7th Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor
Affolder was taken to Central Arraignment Part, where she was remanded to the Broome County Correctional Facility without bail.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by multiple first responders who arrived on scene quickly to provide medical care and support, including Chenango Ambulance, Broome Security, Broome OES Advanced Life Support First Response Unit, Broome OES and the Chenango Fire Department.
“Thank you to our responding deputies and first responders for their quick response and decisive actions to this preventable accident,” said Sheriff Fred Akshar. “We never want to see something like this occur, but thanks to our community’s first responders, the victims were able to quickly get the help they needed and the driver was swiftly brought to justice.”
