Massachusetts police officer’s ‘extraordinary courage’ in federal spotlight after heroic rescue

A Massachusetts police officer’s “extraordinary courage” has earned federal recognition two months after he stepped into action and saved a woman’s life on the train tracks.

FBI Director Kash Patel has sent a certificate of appreciation to Abington Police Sgt. Stephen Marquardt for the veteran officer’s efforts in preventing the distraught woman from being fatally struck by an oncoming train.

FBI Boston’s Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks visited the department on the South Shore this week, presenting Marquardt with the certificate two months after the sergeant’s life-saving action.

“Back in March, Sgt. Marquardt demonstrated extraordinary courage when he stepped onto the railroad tracks,” FBI Boston stated in a social media post, “as a train was approaching, to rescue a woman having a mental health crisis.

“FBI Boston thanks him for his unwavering commitment to public service,” the post added.

The Abington Police Department responded to the gesture, stating that it “extends its appreciation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for recognizing Sgt. Marquardt’s bravery and dedication to public service.”

The recognition comes amid a difficult time in the Massachusetts law enforcement community, including the death of Massachusetts state trooper Kevin Trainor, who was struck and killed by a wrong-way driver on Route 1 in Lynnfield on May 6.

Marquardt has received heavy applause since responding to and saving the woman in crisis on March 6. On April 19, the long-time veteran of the Abington PD threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

Weeks after his response, Abington Police Chief John Bonney presented Marquardt with a “Medal of Valor,” awarded to employees with a “total disregard for their personal safety to save the life of another.”

Body-worn camera footage that Bonney shared with the public in the days after the response went viral. In the clip, Marquardt is heard trying to persuade the woman to get off the tracks, but she initially resisted, as an oncoming train’s headlight comes into view.

“Come on. We are on the train tracks. I don’t want to get killed,” the sergeant is heard saying. “Come on, come on. … Please. … We are going to get run over if we stay here.”

Moments later, just after 6:15 the morning of March 6, Marquardt got the woman off the tracks. In just mere seconds, the train roars past.

“The willingness of police officers to sacrifice their own safety for complete strangers leaves me in awe every time I see it,” the police chief said at an Abington Select Board meeting on March 30. “Sgt. Marquardt was going to save this woman’s life or die trying, and the nobility in that is chilling. He saved both of their lives in that moment.”