Bucks police officer killed

A police officer was killed today during a routine traffic stop when two passing vehicles collided, pinning the officer beneath his cruiser.

Officer Chris Jones, 37, a 10-year veteran of the Middletown Police Department in Bucks County, was pronounced dead of head injuries at 12:30 p.m. at St. Mary Medical Center.

"This is the saddest day of my 51-year career," said Middletown Police Chief Frank McKenna, who is scheduled to retire tomorrow. He described Jones as a competent, compassionate officer who had inspired many grateful calls for his kindness on the job.

Jones, a father of three, was working on a traffic detail on northbound Route 1 near the exits to I-95, where there had been numerous complaints about speeding, McKenna said. Jones stopped a sedan, parking his cruiser behind the vehicle, and appeared to be walking back to his cruiser when he was struck at about 10:40 a.m.

Two passing vehicles collided with each other, authorities said, with at least one of the vehicles hitting Jones' cruiser, pinning him beneath the vehicle.

He was taken by ambulance to St. Mary. Middletown Police Lt. Patrick McGinty said that several other injuries were reported in the vehicle that struck Jones' cruiser, but he did not have any details.

The accident occurred in Middletown, but is being investigated by police from neighboring Bristol and Falls Townships, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bucks County District Attorney's office.

McGinty said it was too early to tell whether any charges would be filed as a result of the accident. All three vehicles involved in the accident stopped, and their occupants were being interviewed, he said.

McKenna said Jones' death was the first on-duty fatality in the history of his 54-officer department.