Mass. police officer killed in car crash while helping driver was hit by tractor-trailer
The Uxbridge police officer who died in a car crash while helping another driver early Wednesday morning was hit by a tractor-trailer, according to Uxbridge police.
Patrolman Stephen LaPorta, 43, was responding to a car crash on Route 146 north around 12:40 a.m. when the truck struck both the officer and his cruiser, Uxbridge Police Chief Marc Montminy said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon .
LaPorta was outside his vehicle when he was hit, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office said in a press release. First responders provided medical aid, but he was declared dead at the scene.
"Officer LaPorta gave his life and service to this community. A sacrifice that we will never forget," Montminy said during the conference. "In our eyes, he was a hero. This is a devastating loss to our department and our community."
Authorities spoke for only two minutes during the press conference Wednesday afternoon and declined to answer questions from reporters.
Authorities are still investigating the crash. They ask that anyone who was traveling through the area around the time LaPorta was hit call the Worcester County District Attorney's Office at 508-832-9124.
A recording of Uxbridge police radio transmissions from around the time of the crash indicates that LaPorta spoke of how icy the roads were multiple times before he was killed. At one point, he states that he hasn't made it to the crash location yet because he slid on the ice.
"I threw a flare out," he says a few minutes later. "It's an ice rink up here."
Less than five minutes later, a different person states over the radio that an officer's cruiser has been hit.
LaPorta became a full-time officer and patrolman at the Uxbridge Police Department in June 2024, fulfilling a lifelong dream of his, Montminy said Wednesday afternoon. Prior to becoming an officer, LaPorta worked for the department as a full-time dispatcher and part-time patrolman.
La Porta leaves behind a wife and 13-year-old child, Montminy said.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has ordered that flags at government buildings be lowered to half-staff until sunset on the day LaPorta is buried.
No further information about the crash was immediately available.
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