Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant Gregory Principe and Sergeant Ernest DeCross were killed in a vehicle crash while pursuing a vehicle being driven by a 16-year-old juvenile. Their vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree near the intersection of Middle Street and Arnold Street. The juvenile was arrested and charged with two counts of manslaughter. Lieutenant Principe had served with the Braintree Police Department for 20 years. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and two sons. One of his sons later became a Boston police officer.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-E5A5DD1A- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
20 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Principe gave the Braintree Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Braintree community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Principe.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant Gregory A. Principe is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MA, 158 of 469 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Braintree Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gregory A. Principe's cause is highlighted.
How Gregory A. Principe Compares
Offender Outcome
vehicle pursuit
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gregory A. Principe is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Braintree Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
