Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole was returning home from work just after midnight on Thursday, Nov. 28 when he was hit by the wrong-way driver, according to authorities
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Photo courtesy Endicott College Police
A police officer has died after he was involved in a wrong-way crash on a Massachusetts highway early on Thanksgiving morning.
Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole was “driving home early” on Thursday, Nov. 28 after a shift on campus when his Chevrolet Trailblazer was struck head-on on the northbound side of Interstate 95 in Newbury, according to a statement from Endicott College Chief of Police Kerry Ramsdell.
Members of the Newbury Fire Department (NFD) responded to the scene near Exit 81 on Interstate 95 just after midnight and found the sole occupants of the vehicles “trapped inside,” according to a news release from the department.
Massachusetts State Police (MSP) said before the crash, officers had tried to stop a white Tesla heading south on the northbound side of the highway before the vehicle collided with Cole’s car, according to ABC affiliate WCVB.
It took nearly an hour to extract both men from their respective vehicles, the NFD said.
Cole, 49, of Exeter, N.H., was pronounced dead at the scene, according to FOX affiliate WFXT. The other man, a 40-year-old Massachusetts man, was MedFlighted to a local hospital.
“On behalf of the Public Safety & Police Department at Endicott College, I wish to express our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the family of Sgt. Cole,” Ramsdell said in her statement.
“This is an incredibly difficult time for our department. We are heartbroken by this unimaginable loss,” she continued. “Sgt. Cole was not only a dedicated public servant and prior recipient of a lifesaving award, but also a cherished member of our team.
The police chief added, “On this Thanksgiving Day, our hearts are with the family, friends, and loved ones of a police officer who reported for duty keeping the rest of us safe and secure but did not return home. We are committed to supporting them in any way we can through this unimaginable grief.”
The Tesla driver is expected to face charges, according to WFXT and WCVB.