A New Hampshire man was ordered held without bail Thursday after he allegedly crashed into and killed a police officer and utility worker in Waltham, Massachusetts, authorities said.
Peter Simon, 54, of Woodsville, New Hampshire, was driving a stolen Ford F-150 pickup truck on Totten Pond Road around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday when he attempted to do a U-turn in traffic and struck a Jeep Wrangler, causing his truck to go up on two wheels before slamming back down and driving off, according to prosecutors.
About a quarter of a mile down the road, Simon is accused of crashing his truck into a police detail and National Grid crew working on a possible gas leak, killing 58-year-old Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey and 36-year-old National Grid worker Roderick Jackson and injuring two other National Grid employees.
Prosecutors said Simon drove into the work site and veered between a National Grid truck and a backhoe. Between the two vehicles was a trench where National Grid employees were working. Tracey was directing traffic and Jackson was near him when Simon veered his vehicle in their direction, striking them both.
The work site was clearly marked with orange cones, orange signs and yellow flashing lights to alert drivers, prosecutors said.
After striking Tracey and Jackson, Simon crashed into multiple vehicles on scene, including a National Grid truck, at which point he abandoned the Ford F-150 and ran off.
A Waltham police officer located Simon banging on the door of a local home shortly afterward. When the officer approached him, prosecutors said, Simon turned on him brandishing a knife and stole the officer's cruiser, proceeding to lead police on another high-speed chase. Police attempted to stop Simon several times, but each time he veered into the officers. He made several turns throughout Waltham before ultimately crashing the vehicle, where he was subsequently apprehended.
Simon was arraigned Thursday morning in a courtroom packed with police officers and family members of the victims. He sported visible injuries on the side of his face. He said nothing during the hearing, staring straight ahead for most of the proceeding.
He is facing 15 charges in all, including failure to stop, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, larceny of a motor vehicle, armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident after causing personal injury and death, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident after causing property damage, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, marked lanes violations and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
He was appointed a public defender, and the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. He will be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Dec. 14.
Witnesses to Wednesday's crash described a horrific and shocking scene.
"All of a sudden, I hear someone — like screams — and I came out and I saw people on the ground, and I called 911. But I was traumatized just watching the scene. It was just a horrifying scene," Johana Rodriguez said.
"My brother called me, and he was like, 'Did a cop car just drive by?' And I was like, 'Oh yeah.' And he was like, 'Someone just stole a cop car and just flew down the street with it.' And then, I like look down the street and I could see like the other cop cars. I thought like eight of them come down the street," said Natalie Macmillan, who saw the police chase.
