Out-of-Control Driver Held without Bail After Allegedly Killing Waltham Police Officer and National Grid Worker
A New Hampshire man was ordered held without bail Thursday for his role in a heartbreaking worksite tragedy that has left Waltham raw with grief.
Authorities said Peter Simon, 54, of Woodsville, New Hampshire, fatally struck Waltham police officer Paul Tracey, 58, and National Grid worker Roderick Jackson, 36, of Cambridge.
Simon was arraigned Thursday in a Waltham courtroom packed with grieving Waltham Police officers and workers from the large utility company.
He faces a long list of charges, including unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, armed robbery, two counts of manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash causing death.
Simon pleaded not guilty and will appear next on December 14 for a dangerousness hearing.
Wild Sequence
Around 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, while driving east on Totten Pond Road, Simon attempted a U-turn in a beat-up silver Ford F-150.
“This defendant veered his vehicle to the right and then suddenly to the left in an apparent attempt to make a U-turn,” said prosecutor Chris Tarrant in court.
Simon struck a Jeep behind him during the maneuver, then continued eastbound toward a National Grid worksite surrounded by orange cones and signage.
Paul Tracey, a 28-year-veteran WPD officer, was directing traffic at a police detail near a trench.
National Grid worker Roderick Jackson was standing near Tracey at the time.
Simon veered his pickup into their direction, Tarrant said, striking them and critically injuring both. Tracey and Jackson later succumbed to their injuries.
Two other National Grid workers were also hurt when he allegedly barreled into the worksite.
Simon abandoned the pickup, fleeing into a neighborhood and banging on a home’s door.
An arriving Waltham Police officer tried to arrest him, but he brandished a knife, stole the officer’s WPD cruiser and led units on a high-speed chase, Tarrant said.
During the dangerous pursuit, Simon allegedly veered into police vehicles before finally crashing the stolen cruiser on Winter Street.
He was apprehended by a Waltham officer after a brief pursuit on foot.
Waltham Tragedy
As word of the two deaths spread Wednesday night, social media lit up with words of support for officer Tracey and the unnamed utility worker, who was not identified until Thursday’s arraignment.
Paul Tracey's body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Boston for an autopsy as part of the ongoing investigation.
A lifelong Waltham resident with deep community ties, he leaves behind his wife Kristin, a school resource officer at WHS, and two teen children.
Waltham Police officers appeared numb with grief on Thursday in Waltham District Court, as did National Grid workers and relatives of Roderick Jackson.
Afterward, in a touching gesture, Waltham Police Chief Kevin O’Connell and other superior officers embraced the workers in a mall parking lot across from the court.
The scene offered a poignant reminder of the thin line between life and death for those who work on Massachusetts roadways, and especially ones with high speed limits like Totten Pond Road.
Meanwhile, across town, mourners left flowers on a cruiser parked in front of Waltham Police headquarters on Lexington Street.
Peter Lobo photos and pool arraignment screengrabs
