District Attorney report: Drunk driver was over twice the legal limit in crash that killed heroic Massachusetts State Trooper

The Essex District Attorney’s Office has concluded its investigation into the fatal collision on that claimed the life of a State Trooper.

The report in its entirety is as follows:

On May 6, 2026 at 2:04 A.M., a 2018 Jeep Wrangler driven by 50-year-old Hernan Ramon Marrero of Roslindale was traveling southbound in the northbound lane of Route 1 in Lynnfield when it collided head-on with a State Police Cruiser (# 1958) driven by 30-year-old Trooper Kevin T. Trainor (# 5179) of Georgetown. Numerous assets from the Massachusetts State Police and area departments responded. Marrero was pronounced deceased on-scene and, after mechanical extrication, was transported from the scene by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Trooper Trainor, unconscious with life threatening injuries, was extracted and transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

The investigation was headed by the Essex County State Police Detective Unit attached to this Office with assistance from the MSP Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (C.A.R.S.); MSP Crime Scene Services; MSP Technical Services Unit; MassDOT Safety Inspectors; the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME); and the Lynnfield and Saugus Police Departments. It consisted of a review of all available evidence, including a thorough accident reconstruction conducted by C.A.R.S.; vehicle inspection and analysis (VIN, recall, and safety inspection histories; Airbag Control Module data, laser scanning); review of data from the Event Data Recorders (EDR) of both vehicles and the Infotainment system of the Jeep; Geotab data from Cruiser #1958; a Global Navigation Satellite System scene survey; scene photographs; collected video (surveillance, Flock, ALPR, Dash cam); radio logs and recordings; credit card records; social media posts; citizen witness statements; information and toxicological reports supplied by the OCME; and material collected by the Investigation and Enforcement Division of the Massachusetts Alcohol Beverage Control Commission (ABCC).

In summary, the investigation revealed the following: Marrero began his evening at a restaurant in Waltham where he purchased food and was provided one complimentary drink; his tab closed out at 7:42 P.M.. He then traveled to Tribu Mexican Kitchen and Bar (“Tribu”) on Rte. 1 North in Saugus, approximately a 35-minute drive from the Waltham restaurant. He sat down at the bar at 9:15 P.M. and was served a margarita at 9:20 P.M.; he made a social media posting of a margarita at Tribu with the caption “Second stop!!!.” Between 9:20 P.M. and 12:53 A.M., he was served a total of nine alcoholic drinks at Tribu.

At 1:56 A.M, Marrero departed the Tribu parking lot in the Jeep and headed north on Rte. 1 in the northbound lane for approximately 2.3 miles. At 2:01 A.M., his vehicle entered the Rte. 1 “jug handle” next to Santarpio’s Pizza in Peabody which enables drivers to reverse direction onto Rte. 1 south.

Clear, visible, unobstructed, and undamaged signs on both sides of the road direct motorists not to enter Rte. 1 north from the jughandle (“WRONG WAY,” “DO NOT ENTER,” and “ONE WAY” with arrow). Mass DOT traffic camera footage shows the Jeep enter the jughandle, graze a guardrail on the right, run a red light, take too sharp a left turn, and re-enter the northbound lane traveling southbound. The Jeep traveled 1.8 miles southbound in the northbound lane. At the Salem Street overpass, the Jeep passed a northbound EZ Disposal truck equipped with dash cam video, which shows the Jeep pass at 2:02:39 A.M.. The driver of the truck called 911. A Trooper also observed the wrong way driver and broadcast the information to the MSP Danvers Barracks desk officer and area cruisers. The desk officer responded that he was receiving 911 calls concerning the wrong-way driver.

Meanwhile, Tpr. Trainor had recently completed an assigned public safety detail on the Lynnway in the area of the General Edwards Bridge. He clocked out at 1:52 A.M. and began his commute home. Tpr. Trainor’s cruiser radio was on and set to the channel over which the communications about the wrong way driver were broadcast. Trooper Trainor’s cruiser was the first to encounter the Jeep and collided head-on with it. At the point of impact, EDR data showed the cruiser speed was between 60.4 and 68.6 mi/h. and the Jeep between 56.4 and 61.4 mi/h. The Delta-V of the crash, a standard measure of severity, was calculated at -67.1 MPH at 148 milliseconds, consistent with a severe head-on impact. Moments after the 911 calls, other responding Troopers came upon the site of the collision, approximately 350 feet south of mile marker 59.2.

Toxicological testing showed Marrero’s Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) to be 0.192 g/100 mL, over twice the legal limit. Also present in his blood were Bupropion (Wellbutrin) 30 ng/mL, an antidepressant and smoking inhibitor, and Hydroxybupropion 100 ng/mL, a metabolite of that drug.

The reconstructionist determined that Marrero’s wrong-way driving was not caused by any defect, malfunction, or condition of the Jeep or any defect or condition of the posted signage. Rather, “the collision was caused by the actions of Mr. Marrero and, furthermore, that his wrong-way operation of the Jeep ultimately resulted in his own death as well as the line of duty death of Trooper Kevin Trainor.”

The available evidence is consistent with early reports that in responding to this highly dangerous situation, Trooper Kevin T. Trainor demonstrated exemplary courage and self-sacrifice.

“Trooper Trainor’s ultimate sacrifice will continue to be felt deeply by the community and those he served with, including prosecutors and staff from my office.  This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the profound risks our first responders face every day in order to preserve peace and maintain public safety.” — Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker