Massachusetts State Police Trooper Tamar Bucci, a graduate of Andover High School, was killed in the line of duty last night when her cruiser was struck by a gasoline tanker as she attempted to pull over to assist a disabled motorist.
Bucci, assigned to the Medford Barracks, was 34. The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Colonel Christopher Mason, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, said this morning “It is with great sadness that I announce the line of duty death of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Tamar Bucci, who gave the ultimate sacrifice shortly before midnight when her cruiser was struck by a tractor-trailer on Route 93 Northbound in Stoneham.”
Bucci’s cruiser was struck by the truck, a tanker carrying a fill load of 10,000 gallons of gasoline, as she attempted to pull to the side of the road to assist a disabled motorist at approximately 11:45 p.m. The force of the impact pushed her cruiser, a marked Ford Interceptor SUV with its emergency blue lights activated, off the road.
The driver of the truck, a Methuen man, was not injured. State Police said he has been cooperative. The truck is owned by the PJ Murphy company. The woman who was in the disabled motor vehicle that Trooper Bucci was trying to help was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.
Two civilian Good Samaritans pulled Bucci from the heavily damaged cruiser and a Stoneham Police Officer who came upon the scene performed emergency first aid, including CPR, until EMS arrived and drove her to Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Despite the heroic efforts of the civilians, the Stoneham officer, the Armstrong ambulance crew, and the emergency room staff at MGH, Trooper Bucci was pronounced deceased at the hospital. The Department is devastated by her loss. We are eternally grateful for the attempts of everyone involved to assist Trooper Bucci and to save her life,” Mason said in his statement.
Bucci was assigned to Medford barracks last month. Prior to that, she was assigned to the Brookfield Barracks after graduating as a member of the 85th Recruit Training Troop on May 6, 2020.
Before joining the Massachusetts State Police, Bucci was employed by the security department at Encore Casino and also worked as a personal trainer. She was a graduate of Middlesex Community College and Andover High School.
She is survived by her mother and her father, two sisters, a step-sister, and a step-brother. She is also survived by her other family, the 2,000-plus men and women of the Massachusetts State Police, many of whom came to MGH overnight to grieve and support one another as word of her passing spread.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing and is being conducted by Troop A along with the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, and State Police Detective Unit for Middlesex County. At this time, there are no charges.
She is the 22d member of the Massachusetts State Police to die in the line of duty.