Endicott students raise money for beloved campus sergeant

Even though the students at Endicott College are on Thanksgiving break, they still do their best to help Jeremy Cole’s family days.

The 49-year-old Endicott College police sergeant was killed while driving home early Thanksgiving morning by a wrong-way driver traveling south on I-95 in Newbury.

Police pronounced Cole dead at the scene.

The driver, a man in his 40s from southeastern Massachusetts, was rushed to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. He is expected to face charges that will be announced at a later date.

The students were stunned when they received the news from the school this holiday.

“I didn’t think it was real when I first saw it,” said Ben Fridlington, a student at Endicott. “It will never be the same without him.”

Deanna Federico, another senior at Endicott College, added, “I just dropped my phone and started crying.”

Both told Boston 25 that Cole was an active member of the community and a friendly face on campus.

Federico is a student officer for Endicott College and worked shifts alongside Cole.

“He had a loud, booming voice, so you knew when he was in a room,” she explained.

From home in NH, Fridlington decided to start a GoFundMe for the fellow NH resident’s family.

He explained: ‘Soon it became shared more and more, beyond our friend group and with the rest of the whole school. From there it spiraled to where it is now.”

The GoFundMe (Fundraiser for Laura Cole by Benjamin Fridlington: Support for Jeremy Cole’s Family After Tragic Loss) is approaching $40,000 for Cole’s family.

Federico ended with, “I know a lot of students are saying, ‘I’m not ready to go back to school where J Cole isn’t there.'”

The school announced in a letter that all students and teachers have been invited to the Center for coffee and tea at 9 a.m. to cope with the tragic loss.

This is a development story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News App for the latest news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Tweet. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW