Massachusetts State Police Trooper Tamar Bucci dies when cruiser struck by tanker
STONEHAM, Mass. March 4 2022
A Massachusetts State Police trooper died late Thursday night in a crash involving a tanker truck and another vehicle on Interstate 93 in Stoneham.
State Police Trooper Tamar Bucci, 34, died when her cruiser was struck by a tanker truck on I-93 just before midnight on the northbound side of the highway near exit 27.
Trooper Bucci’s cruiser was struck by a tanker truck carrying a full load of approximately 10,000 gallons of gasoline as she attempted to pull to the side of the road to assist a disabled motorist, Massachusetts State Police Department Col. Christopher Mason said.
“Late last night, on a stretch of road she protected every night on the midnight shift, Trooper Bucci gave her life in the act of trying to help another person in distress. There is no greater act of sacrifice than to give one’s life for another,” Mason said.
The force of the impact pushed the cruiser, which had its blue lights activated, off the roadway.
Two good Samaritans pulled Bucci from the heavily-damaged cruiser, and a Stoneham Police officer who was in the area performed CPR before Bucci was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“The department is devastated by our loss. We are eternally grateful for the attempts of everyone involved to assist Trooper Bucci and (try) to save her life,” Mason said.
The driver of the tanker, a Methuen man, was not injured and is cooperating with police, Mason said. The woman who was in the disabled vehicle was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Bucci was assigned to the Medford barracks of the Massachusetts State Police Department. Prior to that, she was assigned to the Brookfield barracks after she graduated as a member of the 85th training troop in 2020.
“There is no greater sacrifice than giving your life in service of others. Trooper Tamar Bucci embodied the best of the Massachusetts State Police, and her loss is devastating to her loved ones, the commonwealth and her brothers and sisters in blue,” Gov. Charlie Baker said.
Before joining the Massachusetts State Police, Bucci was employed as a security officer at Encore Casino and had worked as a personal trainer.
Bucci is a graduate of Middlesex Community College and a 2006 graduate of Andover High School.
She is survived by her parents, sisters, a step-brother and a step-sister, and the 2,000 members of the Massachusetts State Police.
“In her brief MSP career, she set an example for all of us to follow. Her life was cut too short, too soon,” Mason said. “Her selfless act embodies the mission of the state police: to help those in need — a mission we will now carry on in her memory.”
The investigation into the crash continues.
Bucci is the 22nd member of the Massachusetts State Police to die in the line of duty.
Baker has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings in Bucci’s honor.
