Endicott College honors police sergeant killed in wrong-way crash, "such a sweet guy"
BEVERLY - Endicott College Police Sergeant Jeremy Cole was remembered at a ceremony on campus Monday as a friend of everyone, just days after his tragic death.
Endicott College Police Sergeant Jeremy Cole
Sgt. Cole was killed in a wrong-way crash on Thanksgiving as he was heading home from work early Thursday morning. He was 49 years old. Cole leaves behind a wife and four children, two of them under the age of 10.
"The college will pay for their tuition when they're ready to come to college, to help in a small way heal the wound they're dealing with right now," Endicott President Steven DiSalvo said at the campus event for Cole as students returned from the holiday break.
A memorial on campus has been filled with flowers and tokens of remembrance.
Students, colleagues and fellow police officers lit candles in his memory. Many wrote messages to Cole's family at the ceremony.
"We're all with them and we love them and we're here for them and they're not grieving alone," student Ava Maher told WBZ-TV. "He was just such a sweet guy."
"He was definitely a light for all of us. There was no one like J. Cole," said student Jessica Carra.
Cole had been with the Endicott College police department for 15 years.
"All the interactions I did have with him were just incredible so, I think it's the least I could do, was show up today," said student Emily Sousa.
"He was more than just a police officer. He was an important part of our community and he will be missed dearly," DiSalvo told WBZ.
Endicott will have counselors and therapy dogs available to students and staff if they're needed.
"It's really difficult for us right now," Carra told WBZ. "He was a one of a kind person and you know you'll never find someone like him ever again."
Wrong-way crash
Massachusetts State Police said Sgt. Cole was driving a Chevrolet Trailblazer on Interstate 95 north just after midnight Thursday when a Tesla going south slammed head-on into his SUV in Newbury.
The Newbury Fire Department said it took nearly an hour to get the drivers out of their cars. Sgt. Cole died at the scene.
Chief Ramsdell said Sgt. Cole was driving home to Exeter, New Hampshire after leaving his evening shift on campus.
The Tesla driver was rushed to a hospital in Boston on medical rescue helicopter. There's no word yet on his condition. Investigators have not released his name. State Police only described him as "a man in his 40s from southeastern Massachusetts" and that he's expected to face charges. There has been no update from the Essex County District Attorney's Office.
Massachusetts State Police said the Tesla was first spotted going the wrong way on I-95 by New Hampshire State Police. A tire-deflation device was put down on the highway in Georgetown to stop the car, but it crashed into Cole's SUV in Newbury before it reached the device.
Endicott College is in Beverly, Massachusetts, about 30 miles north of Boston. The campus was closed last week for the Thanksgiving holiday break.
"We'll continue to work with our students both in and out of the classroom to make sure that they can process this the right way," DiSalvo told WBZ.
A candlelight vigil will be held at Endicott Tuesday night.
