The week after Thanksgiving is often a time to catch up on missed work, or maybe to work off the calories with an extra trip to the gym. Unfortunately, in Beverly, Massachusetts, the Tuesday after the holiday found Endicott College students and staff at a candlelight vigil for campus Public Safety and Police Sergeant Jeremy Cole.

On Thanksgiving morning, Cole was headed home to Exeter, New Hampshire, after finishing his evening shift at the college. He was struck and killed in a head-on crash by Keoma Duarte, who was driving the wrong way on the interstate at the time. 

The incident actually began some time before, when New Hampshire State Police spotted Duarte’s car traveling south on the northbound side of I-95. They tried to stop it, but contacted law enforcement in Massachusetts when it crossed over the border. Preparations were being made to utilize tire deflation devices further south, but Duarte never made it that far. 

After the crash with Cole, Duarte was flown to a hospital. During his bail hearing, prosecutors claimed that he denied even having been at the crash scene. They also noted that Duarte’s blood alcohol level had been more than twice the legal limit.

Cole was 49 years old and left behind a wife and four children. At Endicott College’s candlelight vigil, he was remembered as a “big presence on campus … sarcastic and funny,” according to alumna Erin Ward. He was also known for teaching defense courses for women. College president Steven DiSalvo said the school has already committed to paying tuition for Cole’s children when they’re ready to attend college. 

As students returned from Thanksgiving break, they gathered to light candles in the officer’s honor, as well as write letters of condolence to his family for their irreparable loss. Students remembered him as “inspirational” and a person who had an “impact” on students.

As Cole is grieved by his widow, children, friends and the college community, Keoma Duarte is recuperating in the hospital bed from which he remotely attended his bail hearing. Bail was set at $500,000 and his lawyer promised that he will receive a “full and vigorous defense.”