BEVERLY, MASS. (WHDH) – A crowd of Endicott College students gathered for a candlelight vigil Tuesday in memory of Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole, who lost his life in a crash with a wrong-way driver last week.
“What makes this loss so hard is because he was just someone who everyone knew,” said Endicott College student Amrita Kumar, who attended the vigil.
Another student said of the gathering, “It really just shows how much he affected a lot of people here.”
Cole had just wrapped up his shift at the college when he was involved in the crash the night before Thanksgiving.
Police say Keoma Duarte, 40, of New Bedford was under the influence of alcohol when he slammed into Cole’s SUV.
He was arraigned from a hospital bed Tuesday and denied the charges.
Prosecutors say he has a history of speeding and was seen on surveillance video trying to go to a liquor store before getting back in his car and driving the wrong way on the highway.
Seven empty vodka nips were allegedly found in his vehicle.
In the meantime, the college campus Cole proudly served for 15 years is keeping his legacy alive.
Kumar said, “He was Endicott. He really emphasized what it meant to be a community.”
Cole leaves behind a wife and four children.
The college says it will pay for his younger children’s tuition when its time for them to go to college.
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