A Tampa police officer who investigators believe entered a vehicle that was approaching to protect others before dying Tuesday morning in an accident in the wrong direction was a “strong and courageous” father who wanted to serve in law enforcement since the age of 8, his family tells Fox News.
Master police officer Jesse Madsen – a combat veteran of the U.S. Navy who spent nearly 17 years in the Tampa Police Department – was pronounced dead about 1 am after the collision on Interstate 275. He is survived by a wife and three children, aged 16, 12 years and 10.
“I really don’t know what to say except that he was extremely loved and was a very outgoing, strong and courageous guy who wanted to be a police officer since he was 8,” his stepmother Julia Madsen told Fox News, calling his a death a “true tragedy”.
Officer Jesse Madsen, 45, received the Life-Saving Award from the Tampa Police Department seven times. He also served in police departments in Lyndhurst and Shaker Heights, Ohio. (Tampa Police Department)
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“He was the last one you think would die first, he was so strong,” she added.
Tampa chief Brian Dugan said the driver of the rental car that hit Madsen’s police vehicle – Joshua Daniel Montague, 25, of Golden, Colorado – also died from the impact. It is not yet clear why Montague was heading south at a “high speed and swerving down the lanes” of I-275 north, and the investigation is still ongoing, police added.
“He has won our rescue award seven times during his career,” Dugan said of Madsen on Tuesday morning. “We have reason to believe that he got into the oncoming car to protect others.”
Dugan says the information was obtained after speaking with witnesses.
“So when you look at someone who has won seven life-saving awards, it’s no surprise that he acted so quickly and did that,” added Dugan.
The Tampa Police Department now says it will enter a weeklong mourning period, as Madsen was a “guardian of this city” that “will never be forgotten”. A memorial fund was created for Madsen’s family and the police also released a video of the policeman being escorted off the scene.
Officer Madsen receiving police escort away from the crash site this morning. (Tampa Police Department)
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Out of uniform, Madsen liked to take her children fishing and had a knack for finding fish when no one else could, her stepmother told Fox News.
“He had a spirit of adventure from day one,” said Julia Madsen. “He was always there for friends and family.”
Madsen’s brother Joshua also described his death as “extremely unhappy” and said that Jesse was “loved by many”.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told reporters on Tuesday that city hall and bridges in the area will be lit up in blue tonight in honor of Madsen.
“They are clearly devastated,” she said of Madsen’s family. “They are very, very grateful for the thoughts and prayers of the whole community.”
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The stretch of highway where the accident occurred was closed in both directions for about seven hours earlier this morning, according to Fox13 Tampa.
The police station also reported that Madsen is the third police officer in the Tampa Bay area to be killed in the line of duty this year, after incidents in January and February involving police officers from the Hillsborough County and Pinellas County Sheriff’s offices, respectively.