Decorated Tampa Officer Jesse Madsen Killed In Line Of Duty After Wrong-Way Crash

Devastating to wake up to the news that a Tampa police officer and U.S. veteran was killed in the line of duty after he tried to stop a wrong-way driver on I-275.

An unidentified 25 year-old man in a white car was swerving and speeding headed south in the northbound lanes of I-275 near Sligh Avenue.

TPD received a call reporting the driver just before 1 A.M. Forty-five year-old Officer Jesse Madsen, an 18-year officer with TPD, rushed to try to stop the driver. In just a few minutes after that call, Officer Madsen was killed by the wrong-way driver. He was a husband and father of three.

Chief Brain Dugan talked about the "highly-decorated officer. Seven-time life-saving award winner...and United State Marine." He said, "This is a tragedy. Our community has been rocked by these wrong-way drivers. It’s just a complete tragedy that a husband and father of four is now gone."

Now, after Madsen's passing, there have been 32 members of TPD who have died in the line of duty.

Chief Dugan said, "Jesse was a guardian of this city. He will never be forgotten."

For more on this story, click here.

Compare Cards says choose a nonstop early morning flight if you can. And avoid these airports for a connecting flight. They say these 10 had the most delayed or cancelled flights over the past 10 years in December.