Mass. Trooper Tamar Bucci Dies at 34 in Tanker Truck Crash After Trying to Help Motorist

"We are heartbroken for her loss," Massachusetts State Police said in a social media statement

tamar bucci
Photo: mass state police/ twitter

Tamar Bucci, a police trooper who worked with the Massachusetts State Police, has died. She was 34.

The department announced Bucci's death in a social media statement Friday after she was hit by a vehicle while assisting another motorist late Thursday.

"Trooper Tamar Bucci gave her life in the line of duty last night when her cruiser was struck by a gas tanker as she attempted to drive up to and assist a disabled motorist," the organization wrote alongside a photograph of the late officer.

"We are heartbroken for her loss," Massachusetts State Police continued in its Twitter statement.

In a follow-up tweet, the department added: "Trooper Bucci was 34 and assigned to the Medford Barracks. No greater love hath a person than to give her life for another."

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Around 11:45 p.m. local time on Thursday, Bucci saw a disabled car near the side of the highway and attempted to provide aid, State Police Colonel Christopher Mason told MassLive.

Bucci had the lights on her police cruiser activated at the time that the vehicle was hit, Mason said. When the cruiser was struck, it was pushed off the roadway, he added.

Bucci's vehicle was hit by a tanker truck that was carrying around 10,000 gallons of fuel, WCVB reported.

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Two nearby individuals saw the incident and pulled Bucci from the scene, before a nearby Stoneham officer performed CPR, the outlet added. Bucci was then taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, but was pronounced dead.

The driver of the tanker, meanwhile, was not injured and is working with police, while the individual who was in the vehicle that Bucci stopped to help was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, per WCVB.

A representative for the Massachusetts State Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Bucci previously graduated from the State Police Academy in 2020, The Boston Globe reported, citing Mason.

Before working for the law enforcement department, Bucci had worked as a security detail at a casino, the outlet added.

"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 wrote on Twitter.

"Our sincere and heartfelt thoughts are with Trooper Bucci's family during this heartbreaking time," he continued, before adding that flags would be flown at half-staff at all state buildings in Bucci's honor.

The late officer is survived by her parents, two sisters, a stepbrother and a stepsister, per NBC Boston.

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