New Bedford man charged in highway crash that killed police officer

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. – December 3, 2024 – Keoma Duarte, 40, of New Bedford, Mass., has been charged in connection with the motor vehicle crash that killed Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole, 49, of Exeter, New Hampshire, the Office of Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker announced today.

On Wednesday, just prior to midnight, Duarte’s 2023 Tesla Model Y was traveling southbound in the northbound lane on Interstate 95 when it collided with Cole’s 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer in Newbury, in the vicinity of the Central Street overpass. Cole was declared deceased at the scene. Duarte was transported via MedFlight to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with serious injuries.

Today, Duarte was charged with motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of liquor and operating recklessly, manslaughter, and motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation. In addition, he also faces civil motor vehicle infractions for driving in the wrong direction on a state highway, speeding, and marked lanes violation. He is expected to be arraigned in Newburyport District Court via Zoom today.

The incident is being investigated by the Massachusetts State Police Troop A detectives, MSP Newbury, Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and Crime Scene Services Section, as well as the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and members of the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.