On Sunday afternoon (October 8),  55 year old officer Louis Remigio was struck and severely injured while riding his Harley Davidson on I-95. Remigio was immediately rushed to Portsmouth Regional Hospital where he passed away on Monday (October 9). The driver of the black Mercedes that hit him was 18 year old Michael Ricci of Burlington, Massachussetts. Ricci had reportedly been racing other cars when he went through a restricted crossover lane, driving into oncoming traffic and collided with Remigio. There were three other vehicles involved in the crash and only one other person was taken to the hospital and was treated for minor injuries. Ricci was originally taken into custody and charged with the felony of reckless conduct and later released on $10,000 cash bail. He was taken back into custody Tuesday (October 10) evening after being wanted out of Lowell Juvenile court for violating parole from a previous case. He will now be charged with negligent homicide.

Officer Remigio was a 30 year veteran of the Somerville police department. Somerville police chief David Fallon commented on Remigio saying, “He’s everything. He epitomized a good police officer. He epitomized  21st century policing. He epitomized the somerville police department”. His coworkers also described him as kind and equal to everyone, always entering work with a smile on his face. He leaves behind two adult daughters who also recently lost their mother.  Remigio’s body was transported from Portsmouth to Massachusetts, escorted by other officers. The Somerville police department was draped in black and his desk covered in flowers in the days following his death.