Trooper Tamar Bucci, formerly assigned to Brookfield barracks, killed when cruiser hit by tanker on I-93 in Stoneham

A Massachusetts State Police trooper was killed late Thursday after a tanker truck struck her cruiser, the department's commander said Friday.

Trooper Tamar Bucci, 34, pulled over on Interstate 93 north in Stoneham, north of Boston, just before midnight with her emergency blue lights on to assist a disabled vehicle when her marked cruiser was struck by a tanker carrying about 10,000 gallons of gasoline, Col. Christopher Mason said at a news conference.

She was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she was later pronounced dead, Mason said.

Bucci, most recently assigned to the Medford barracks, was based at the Brookfield barracks after finishing her training in May 2020. Her assignment was moved to Medford last month, according to state police.

“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.

Two good Samaritans stopped at the scene and pulled her from her vehicle before a local officer arrived and performed first aid.

“Despite the heroic efforts of the citizens, the Stoneham officer, the Armstrong ambulance crew and the emergency staff at MGH, Trooper Bucci was pronounced deceased at the hospital,” he said.

Gov. Charlie Baker has ordered flags at state buildings lowered to half-staff in Bucci's honor.

“There is no greater sacrifice than giving your life in service of others," Baker wrote in a tweet. “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."

Bucci, a two-year veteran, was assigned to the Medford barracks. She is the 22nd trooper in the department’s history to die in the line of duty, Mason said.

Before joining the state police, she worked in security at the Encore Boston Harbor casino and as a personal trainer. She was a graduate of Middlesex Community College and Andover High School. Survivors include her parents, two sisters, a stepsister and a stepbrother.

“We are heartbroken by this tragedy, and resolve to continue our mission to protect and serve by following the example set by Trooper Bucci in her brief MSP career and her life that was cut short far too soon," Mason said.

The driver of the tanker was not injured and is cooperating with police, Mason said. The woman driving the disabled vehicle was taken to the hospital for an evaluation. Their names were not released.

The investigation into the crash continues.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Trooper Tamar Bucci, formerly assigned to Brookfield barracks, killed when cruiser hit by tanker on I-93 in Stoneham