Decorated Mass. State Police Trooper Dies Unexpectedly

WEYMOUTH, MA – The Massachusetts State Police are mourning the unexpected passing of one of their own this week. Patrick Ahl, 40, died Monday at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth after suffering a medical emergency.

Ahl, a Weymouth native, had been assigned to the Norwell barracks since April. He previously served in Revere and Danvers.

Ahl and two other troopers were awarded the Massachusetts State Police Medal of Valor in 2010 for saving a young woman's life after her car went off the road during a rainstorm. The vehicle had hydroplaned off Route 95 and into a flooded drainage area, trapping her inside as the water continued to rise and fill the passenger side.

The troopers jumped into the water, and Ahl broke a window to allow the driver to escape. She was hypothermic but ultimately survived.

Ahl graduated from state police training in September 2006 and began his career at the Boston barracks. Prior to joining the Massachusetts State Police, he was as a corrections officer with the Massachusetts Department of Correction and served in Afghanistan as a member of the 772 Military Police Company of the Massachusetts National Guard.

He graduated from Weymouth High School in 1994.

Ahl is survived by his parents, Edward and Margaret Ahl, his sister, Shannon Burns, and her husband, Frank, and his sister, Susan Junkins, and her husband, John.

"Our prayers tonight are with Trooper Patrick Ahl and his family," Massachusetts State Police Col. Richard McKeon said in a statement. "He, and they, will always remain a dear part of our Massachusetts State Police family."

Image via MSP