Nov. 28 – Jeremy Cole of Exeter was returning home from his shift as a police sergeant at Endicott College early Thanksgiving morning when he was killed by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 95.
The wrong-way driver in a Tesla, first spotted in New Hampshire, crashed head-on into Cole’s Chevrolet Trailblazer on I-95 in Newbury, Massachusetts, shortly after midnight, state police said.
Cole was a veteran of the Endicott Department, where he was described by Chief Kerry Ramsdell as “not only a dedicated public servant and previous recipient of a lifesaving award, but also a beloved member of our team.”
Ramsdell released a statement Thursday saying the department is heartbroken by the loss.
“On this Thanksgiving Day, our hearts are with the family, friends and loved ones of a police officer who reported to keep the rest of us safe, but did not return home,” Ramsdell said. “We are committed to supporting them in any way we can during this unimaginable grief.”
New Hampshire State Police alerted Massachusetts authorities as the Tesla headed toward the border around midnight. State troopers from both departments maintained visual contact with the car through the Newburyport area while police in Georgetown prepared a tire deflation device.
However, the Tesla hit Cole’s SUV before it reached Georgetown.
The driver of the Tesla was a man in his 40s from Massachusetts. Police have not released his name. He suffered serious injuries and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Boston. He is expected to be charged.
Massachusetts State Police are investigating.
dpierce@unionleader.com
