Thousands of people gathered at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts on Tuesday night for a candelight vigil to honor the life of campus police sergeant Jeremy Cole who was killed by a wrong-way driver on Thanksgiving morning.
Authorities say Cole was headed home to Exeter, New Hampshire, after his evening shift at Endicott when he was struck and killed by Keoma Duarte in a head-on crash on Interstate 95 in Newbury, Massachusetts.
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Duarte, who was also seriously hurt in the crash, faces two counts of motor vehicle homicide charges, one for operating under the influence, as well as manslaughter and civil motor vehicle infractions, the Essex County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday. A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of the 40-year-old from New Bedford.
Cole, a 49-year-old husband and a father of four, was remembered as a beloved mentor and protector.
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"He touched every single person on campus," one Endicott student told NBC 10 Boston. "I don't know if there was anyone on campus quite like he was."
Cole was also known by the Endicott College community for being more than a traditional police officer.
"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," alumna 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."
Endicott College President Steven DiSalvo has said the school will pay the tuition for Cole's children "when they are ready to come to college," which he told Cole's widow after the crash.
"We had a conversation about the children -- especially the two younger ones -- and how important it is to support them as well," DiSalvo said.
Duarte's Tesla Model Y is believed to have been traveling south in a northbound lane on I-95 when it hit Cole's Chevrolet Trailblazer near the Central Street overpass, prosecutors said.
Cole was pronounced dead at the scene, while Duarte was flown to a hospital. He was arraigned from his hospital bed via Zoom Tuesday.
Duarte was ordered held on $500,000 bail during a court hearing where prosecutors said Duarte denied being involved in the serious car crash at the scene where his car was crushed and that he had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit.
New details on moments before the crash in New Hampshire from police, prosecutors
New Hampshire State Police had spotted the Tesla driving south on the northbound side of I-95 in Hampton just before midnight and tried to stop it, the agency said Tuesday, sharing new details about the moments before the crash.
Duarte drove into the parking lot of the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet on I-95 north in Hampton, which was closed at the time, police said. He left through the entrance about 11:45 p.m. and was spotted shortly afterward by a trooper on patrol.
New Hampshire State Police said that its troopers contacted their counterparts in Massachusetts as the Tesla traveled south across the border, where the crash took place.
The crash took place just after midnight, police have said. Troopers had prepared a tire-deflation device in Georgetown, but the Tesla didn't make it that far south.
The head-on crash near mile marker 81.5 in Newbury trapped both drivers in their vehicles, requiring what firefighters have described as a "lengthy and delicate" process to get both men out. The highway had to be shut down for a medical helicopter to land nearby.
Investigators hadn't named Duarte before Tuesday, though they said the surviving driver was expected to face charges.
In court, a prosecutor said that New Hamsphire state troopers were tracking Duarte's Tesla from the opposite side of the highway, which troopers in Massachusetts did as well, including shining a spotlight at his car to try and get the driver's attention.
Duarte was "putting everyone in danger," the prosecutor noted.
At the scene of the crash, Duarte's "responses were hesitant, delayed and lethargic," and he smelled of alcohol, according to the prosecutor, who noted, "he adamantly denied that he had collided with anybody ... even though his car had been crushed and he had in essence crushed Mr. Cole."
Bottles of liquor were found in Duarte's car, which smelled of marijuana, and his blood alcohol level was found to be 0.19, according to the prosecutor.
He also noted that Duarte has a long record of driving infractions, including "three chargeable accidents" in the past six years.
A lawyer for Duarte said the charges were serious and noted he will receive "a full and vigorous defense," though he didn't go into details.
