Wrong-way driver who killed trooper had 9 drinks that night

Local News

Officials say toxicological testing showed the driver who crashed into Trooper Kevin Trainor’s cruiser had a blood alcohol level of 0.192, more than twice the legal limit.

A wrong-way sign on the offramp from Route 128 northbound onto High Street in Danvers. Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe Staff

By Abby Patkin

July 15, 2026 | 11:51 AM

2 minutes to read

The wrong-way driver who crashed his SUV into a Massachusetts State Police cruiser on Route 1 in May, killing both himself and Trooper Kevin Trainor, had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit after consuming at least nine drinks that night, authorities said Wednesday.

“The available evidence is consistent with early reports that in responding to this highly dangerous situation, Trooper Kevin T. Trainor demonstrated exemplary courage and self-sacrifice,” Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker said. “His willingness to put his own life at risk to serve and protect the citizens of the Commonwealth likely prevented an even greater tragedy.”

Trainor, 30, encountered wrong-way driver Hernan Ramon Marrero, 50, while heading home from a public safety detail around 2 a.m. on May 6. Authorities say Marrero, a Roslindale resident, died in the head-on collision, while Trainor later succumbed to his injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital.

In a newly available report on the fatal crash, prosecutors said Marrero “began his evening” at a restaurant in Waltham, where he purchased food and received a complimentary drink before closing out his tab at 7:42 p.m. He then traveled to Tribu Mexican Kitchen and Bar in Saugus, allegedly posting a photo of a margarita on social media with the caption “Second stop!!!”

According to the DA’s report, Tribu ultimately served Marrero a total of nine alcoholic drinks between 9:20 p.m. and 12:53 a.m.

Prosecutors allege Marrero was drunk when he got into his Jeep and drove off at 1:56 a.m. He briefly traveled northbound on Route 1 before entering the “jughandle” near Santarpio’s Pizza in Peabody, which allows drivers to reverse direction onto Route 1 South, the report states.

But prosecutors allege Marrero ignored “WRONG WAY” AND “DO NOT ENTER” signs prominently displayed at the intersection. Traffic camera footage showed his Jeep “enter the jughandle, graze a guardrail on the right, run a red light, take too sharp a left turn, and re-enter the northbound lane traveling southbound,” the report states.

Marrero drove about 1.8 miles in the wrong direction before the fatal Lynnfield crash, prosecutors said.

“Trooper Trainor’s cruiser was the first to encounter the Jeep and collided head-on with it,” the report states.

In an accompanying crash analysis released Wednesday, a State Police sergeant with the agency’s Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section determined the fatal crash was the result of Marrero’s actions and not any mechanical issue with the Jeep or defect with the posted “wrong way” signage.

Prosecutors said toxicological testing showed Marrero’s blood alcohol level was 0.192, more than twice the state’s 0.08 legal limit for driving. He also had the antidepressant and smoking inhibitor bupropion, or Wellbutrin, in his system, according to the DA’s report.

“Trooper Trainor’s ultimate sacrifice will continue to be felt deeply by the community and those he served with, including prosecutors and staff from my office,” Tucker said. “This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the profound risks our first responders face every day in order to preserve peace and maintain public safety.”