LYNNFIELD, MA — Surveillance video from a Route 1 car dealership appears to show a Jeep speeding the wrong way just moments before a fatal head-on crash in Lynnfield. The footage, recorded near the Saugus line, captured the vehicle moving southbound in a northbound lane before the collision.
Massachusetts State Police said Trooper Kevin Trainor, 30, was responding to reports of a wrong-way driver when his cruiser was struck just after 2 a.m. Both Trainor and the Jeep’s driver died in the crash.
What did the video show along Route 1?
The footage came from Kelly Jeep, a dealership on the northbound side of Route 1. It shows a vehicle traveling against traffic and, according to the report, moving faster than cars on the other side of the median.
The timestamp on the clip reads 1:02:50 a.m., but the dealership said that time is off because of Daylight Saving Time. A police vehicle with blue lights can be seen passing shortly afterward.
Who was involved in the crash?
State police identified the wrong-way driver as Hernan Marrero, 50, of Roslindale. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office said he was behind the wheel of the Jeep that entered the wrong lane and hit the cruiser head-on.
Trainor worked out of the Danvers barracks and had left work when he heard the radio reports about the driver. He was on his way to investigate when the crash occurred near the Lynnfield and Saugus line.
What have officials said about Trooper Trainor?
Trainor was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he was later pronounced dead. Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said Trainor’s actions likely prevented additional crashes by getting into position to confront the danger.
Noble called him a hero and said his commitment to public safety put his life at risk. Trainor’s survivors include his mother, Barbara, his fiancée, Jessica, and several siblings.
What is known about the investigation now?
The Essex County District Attorney’s Office has said the reason Marrero was traveling the wrong way is not yet known. Officials have not publicly detailed what led to the driver entering the northbound lane or the exact sequence of events before the impact.
Trainor began his career as a corrections officer in Essex County and joined the Massachusetts State Police after graduating from the academy in 2023. The crash remains under review as investigators piece together the final moments before the collision.
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