‘Paul Tracey is our hero’: Sea of blue in Waltham as thousands gather for officer’s funeral

The streets of Waltham were transformed into a sea of blue on Friday as thousands of law enforcement officials from across the United States gathered for Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey’s funeral service.

Tracey, 58, of Waltham, was a 28-year-old veteran of the Waltham Police Department. He lost his life when authorities say 54-year-old Peter Simon, of Woodsville, New Hampshire, crashed his pickup truck into a National Grid worksite on Totten Pond Road last week.

A procession escorting Tracey to Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church began at 9:30 a.m. and it traveled along Moody Street, Main Street, and onto Trapelo Road, where crowds of people stood shoulder-to-shoulder and looked on as motorcycle officers rode alongside the hearse en route to the funeral.

Tracey’s casket, draped in an American flag, was carried into the church as officers from many different departments saluted.

Paul Tracey’s brother, Jimmy Tracey, delivered words of remembrance during the hours-long mass, calling the beloved officer a “hero.”

“Paul Tracey is our hero. A hero is someone who faces danger, has integrity, bravery, and strength. That is what police officers do every day,” Jimmy told the huge crowd that packed into the church. “Paul lost his life in the line of duty doing what he loved most, protecting and serving the citizens of Waltham, and he’s leaving behind a great legacy for the rest of us to follow.”

“He did his job. He was killed in the line of duty, he was there to protect all in the public, excluding no one,” Pastor James DiPerri said.

After the funeral service concluded, Tracey’s casket was carried out of the church and loaded into the awaiting hearse for a procession that stopped at the Waltham Police Department before continuing to Tracey’s final place of rest.

Fellow officers, firefighters, members of the public, and a National Grid truck assembled outside the station as Tracey passed by his place of work one final time.

“Everybody who does this job long enough has the time when it could be them. And every one of us, for the most part, gets out of it unscathed,” said Raleigh, North Carolina Police Officer Chris Begin. “And for this family, it will never be the same, especially this close to the holidays.”

“We all feel the loss. I’ve known the family for quite some time. It’s really painful and heartbreaking,” said Giovanna Abeiga.

“I know that family, and I feel for them but I pray for them every day,” added Nadia Frederick of Waltham.

On Thursday, hundreds attended Tracey’s wake at the same church, where Tracey and his wife were both baptized, and then married, and their children were also baptized there.

The City of Waltham urged the public to line the streets from the funeral home to the church hours before the mass was slated to begin.

Schools in Waltham closed Friday in anticipation of the large turnout for Tracey’s funeral.

His widow, Kristin, is also a Waltham police officer.

They had two children together.

Paul’s brother, James, remembered Paul as a fun-loving, prankster, who prized his time with family and friends.

“Today we say goodbye to Paul. But we will never let him go,” said James Tracey.

Funeral services for Roderick Jackson, a 36-year-old National Grid worker who also died in the crash, will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Saint Paul AME Church in Cambridge. Jackson’s family has invited the public to attend. A funeral service will follow.

Simon, with several visible lacerations, appeared in front of a judge last week in Waltham District Court, where he was arraigned on charges including two counts of manslaughter, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop for police, and multiple counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, among a slew of other offenses.

Investigators are now asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash or the moments leading up to it to contact police.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW