Maine police sergeant killed in Piscataqua River Bridge crash on his way home from shift
A police sergeant in Maine was killed in a crash early Thursday morning on the Piscataqua River Bridge. Biddeford Police Sgt. Jacob Wolterbeek was heading south to his Portsmouth, New Hampshire home when he crashed into a box truck, Maine State Police said.
The box truck was stopped in traffic on the Maine side of the Interstate 95 bridge that connects the two states, according to authorities. Traffic on the bridge had come to a halt because of another crash that happened in New Hampshire, police said. Troopers responded to the bridge crash just after 1 a.m.
Wolterbeek, who was driving a Toyota Camry, was pronounced dead at the scene. The southbound lanes were closed for several hours on Thursday morning and the crash is still being investigated.
Jacob Wolterbeek dies in I-95 crash
Biddeford Police Chief JoAnne Fisk called Wolterbeek's death a "tragic accident." The 41-year-old leaves behind his wife and three young children.
Wolterbeek was an 18-year veteran of the force. First responders gathered on overpasses along the Maine Turnpike to honor Wolterbeek in a procession held later on Thursday morning, WGME-TV reported.
"Time of sorrow"
"Sergeant Wolterbeek was a respected member of the Biddeford Police Department and a valued City employee," Fisk said in a statement. "In this time of sorrow, our thoughts and prayers are with Sergeant Wolterbeek's family, friends, and colleagues."
According to a city of Biddeford Facebook post in September, Wolterbeek was newly promoted as a sergeant.
