Crime

Man indicted on murder charges for crash that killed Waltham police officer, National Grid worker

Peter Simon, 54, struck and killed Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey and National Grid employee Roderick Jackson last year, prosecutors say.

Peter Simon, with several visible facial lacerations, is arraigned in Waltham District Court, Dec. 7, 2023, in Waltham, Mass. Simon, a truck driver who is accused of crashing into a Massachusetts police officer and a utility employee at a work site, killing both, then pulling a knife on another officer before stealing his cruiser and crashing, has an “unbroken chain” of criminal conduct going back to 1996, a prosecutor said at a detention hearing Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Lane Turner

By Emily Spatz

A New Hampshire man accused of fatally hitting a police officer and National Grid worker with a vehicle before fleeing from police last year has been indicted by a grand jury on more than 20 counts, officials said Wednesday.

Peter Simon, 54, of Woodsville, N.H., was indicted on 22 charges, including two counts of second degree murder, for hitting and killing Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey and National Grid employee Roderick Jackson, the Middlesex District Attorney’s office said in a press release. 

Simon previously pleaded not guilty on 14 counts including manslaughter and armed robbery. He also has a lengthy criminal history, including fleeing from police in 2009, NBC 10 reported.

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Simon allegedly committed the crimes on Dec. 6 of last year, when he was operating a pickup truck eastbound on Totten Pond Road in Waltham, officials said. He pulled over to the side of the road before “suddenly” turning back into the roadway and hitting a vehicle. 

He then allegedly continued driving for a quarter of a mile before hitting Tracey, who was 58, and Jackson, who was 36.

“After striking the victims the defendant continued on, striking multiple other vehicles before abandoning his truck and fleeing on foot,” the press release said. 

When he encountered another Waltham officer who was responding to the incident, he threatened him with a knife, stole his police cruiser, and drove away again, according to the release.  He was arrested by police after crashing the cruiser. 

An investigation by State Police showed Simon was “accelerating at full throttle” and driving over 60 miles per hour at the time of the crash. 

In addition to the two counts of murder, Simon is also charged with two counts of motor vehicle homicide, armed robbery, armed carjacking, and resisting arrest, among other charges. 

He is currently held on bail and will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court.

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