Crime

‘Unimaginable loss’: Community mourns Endicott College police sergeant killed by wrong-way driver

“Jeremy’s kindness, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to our community will never be forgotten,” Endicott College said of Cole.

Endicott College police Sergeant Jeremy Cole. Photo courtesy of Endicott College Police Department

November 29, 2024

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Community members are mourning the loss of an Endicott College police sergeant who was killed in a car crash while driving home on Thanksgiving morning.

Sergeant Jeremy Cole of Exeter, New Hampshire left his evening shift on campus to drive home early Thursday morning when his Chevrolet Trailblazer was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver on I-95 north in Newbury, according to a statement from Endicott College Chief of Police Kerry Ramsdell.

“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,” Ramsdell said in the statement. “We are committed to supporting them in any way we can through this unimaginable grief.”

More than a dozen local police departments expressed their condolences for Cole’s loss.

“Sergeant Cole exemplified what it meant to be dedicated to and embedded in the community he served,” Billerica Police said in a statement.

In 2021, Cole was the recipient of a Lifesaving Award for conducting CPR to save the life of an individual on a softball field on campus.

Affectionately known by his students as “JCole,” the sergeant “served as a both a protector and caretaker on campus,” the department said.

“We will honor and remember you and strive to emulate your devotion,” police said.

Endicott College officials said they are “heartbroken” by the “tragic loss.”

“Jeremy’s kindness, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to our community will never be forgotten,” the college said of Cole, who was a member of the Campus Public Safety and Police Department for 15 years. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.”

At around midnight on Wednesday, New Hampshire State Police reported a Tesla driving the wrong way into Massachusetts on I-95.

Authorities said state troopers watched the vehicle as law enforcement prepared a tire-deflation device in Georgetown, but before the Tesla reached the device, the wrong-way vehicle struck Cole’s vehicle.

The operators of both vehicles were trapped inside the two cars as firefighters began a “lengthy and delicate extrication process to free both parties from the wreckage,” the Newbury Fire Department, which also responded to the scene, said in a statement.

Cole, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The Tesla’s operator sustained serious injuries and was MedFlighted to a Boston hospital.

An investigation into the crash remains ongoing.

“This is an incredibly difficult time for our department,” Endicott College Police Department said. “We are heartbroken by this unimaginable loss.”