Community members came together Monday in Beverly, Massachusetts, to honor the life of Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole, a beloved mentor and protector who lost his life in a crash while driving home Thanksgiving morning.
In addition to counselors being made available, the college is also planning to establish a memorial outside of the public safety center on campus for Cole, who many say was a backbone to the school's community.
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As students have been returning from Thanksgiving break, they've been coming together to light candles in his honor and write letters to Cole's family expressing their condolences for the heartbreaking loss.
Cole was a husband and a father of four who was returning to his home in Exeter, New Hampshire, after his shift, when police said he was killed during a collision with a wrong-way driver on I-95 in Newbury.
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"I spoke to Jeremy's wife Laura the day after the accident," Endicott President Steven DaSilva said. "We had a conversation about the children -- especially the two younger ones -- and how important it is to support them as well. One of the things I did communicate is that the college will pay for their tuition when they are ready to come to college."
"I can't even imagine him not coming back," said Ludovic Robinson, an Endicott College senior.
“It was Thanksgiving and we have a school messaging platform and I saw people talking about it on there and I was like, 'There is no way that’s, like, true,'" sophomore Emily Sousa said. "He could always just lighten up, brighten up a room. He was just like a wonderful soul."
"Sergeant Cole was very inspirational," senior KyRon Parker added. "He walked students through everything. He helped them out."
Cole was a 15-year veteran of the Endicott College police, but many say his impact stretched far past only safety.
"He taught defense courses for women on campus and had just such a big presence on campus, and he was just so sarcastic and funny. He was just a great guy," alumni Erin Ward said. "This has been really, really tough for everyone involved because it is impacted alumni, students, the community, and it is a loss and I feel so bad for his family."
"Even though his life was cut so short, he had such an impact on all of us that you just have to enjoy every moment."
Community members were invited to the Endicott College Center for Belonging to light a candle in Cole's honor on Monday morning. A group meditation was held in Cole's memory at 10 a.m. at the center.
According to Massachusetts State Police, New Hampshire State Police initially reported a wrong-way Tesla traveling south into Massachusetts on Interstate 95 around midnight. Troopers maintained visual contact with the wrong-way vehicle through the Newburyport area while law enforcement prepared a tire-deflation device in Georgetown.
The wrong-way Tesla driver sustained serious injuries and was taken by Boston MedFlight to a trauma center. His name has not been released, but police say he is a man in his 40s from southeastern Massachusetts and he is expected to face charges that will be announced at a later date. His name has not been released.
