© Provided by PeopleTampa Police Department Officer Jesse Madsen
A Florida police officer died this week when his car was hit by another vehicle traveling in the wrong direction - and authorities say that he died protecting others on the road.
It is believed that Tampa police officer Jesse Madsen, 45, swerved his car into the way of the wrong-way driver to prevent him from hitting others, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said Tuesday, according to Tampa10. Tampa police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
© Tampa Police DepartmentOfficer Jesse Madsen
The crash occurred shortly before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Tampa police said in a statement, when the station "began receiving calls about a white vehicle driving southbound in the northbound lanes of I275 at a high rate of speed and swerving through the lanes."
© Provided by PeopleFOX 13 Tampa Bay Scene of the crash
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Within a minute of receiving the calls, the driver of the sedan - identified as Colorado resident Joshua Daniel Montague, 25 - crashed into Madsen's police vehicle.
Both Madsen and Montague were killed in the impact. The crash resulted in lanes in both directions closing for several hours.
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Madsen, who was the father of two sons, ages 12 and 16, and a 10-year-old daughter, is being remembered as a "guardian" of the city, police said. He is also survived by his wife.
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Originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio, Madsen was also a United States Marine combat veteran and had been with the Tampa Police Department for more than 16 years.
"He will never be forgotten," police said in a statement. The department is going into a week-long mourning period and will be retiring Madsen's badge number to honor his memory.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.