BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Steven A. Nigrelli, a Western New York native who has served as the acting superintendent of the New York State Police since October 2022, is retiring from his post.

Nigrelli announced his retirement in an internal memo late Friday afternoon. A state police spokeswoman in Albany would only confirm that Nigrelli retired. Sources tell News 4 Nigrelli made the move after Gov. Kathy Hochul decided he would not be her final choice for state police superintendent.

According to a copy of the internal memo obtained by News 4, Nigrelli wrote that after being informed he was no longer being considered for nomination to be superintendent, “I immediately made the difficult decision that I have already been contemplating for the past year.”

“While the decision to retire is not easy, primarily because I truly love being a trooper, it is my time to step aside and let the next generation lead this great agency,” Nigrelli’s memo read.

News 4 has reached out to Gov. Hochul’s office for comment regarding Nigrelli’s exit and as of late Friday evening has not received a response.

As acting head of the state police force, Nigrelli oversaw more than 5,000 officers, investigators and staff.

Nigrelli began his career with the NYSP in 1990 and spent much of his career with the force’s Troop “A” serving eight Western New York counties. He was part of teams that worked high profile cases such as the Ralph “Bucky” Phillips manhunt, the “Bike Path Killer” case and the investigation into the crash of Flight 3407. He became commander of the troop in 2015.

Nigrelli is a graduate of Buffalo State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in business studies and economics.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.