ESTERO — A Southwest Florida community is grieving the loss of Sgt. Jeffrey Reidy.
Reidy was a 10-year veteran of the Naples Police Department. He was killed in an off-duty crash Thursday night.
We spoke with the Hutchinson family. They told us they dropped their kids off at the same bus stop as Sgt. Reidy, and they’re still trying to process the loss.
James Hutchinson said he first learned Sgt. Reidy was gone on Thursday evening.
"It was 4 or 5 o’clock, something like that, when we finally heard, and it's truly devastating. It feels like it’s part, you know they’re an extension of your family," said Hutchinson.
But Hutchinson said, losing Reidy didn’t feel real until Friday morning at the bus stop.
"I dropped the kids off at the school bus this morning at 6:50, and all the parents stuck around and we had a little prayer for the family. So it was tough, it was hard, it’s hard to do," said Hutchinson.
In addition to prayers, people are donating money for the family on Go Fund Me. Two separate pages have raised more than $50,000 between them.
"It tells you about Jen and Jeff. Who they were," said James' wife Anna Hutchinson.
Hutchinson said, as her family mourns Reidy’s loss, she’s now worried about the safety of the road where he crashed.
"My biggest concern for my family, for future families, it’s this road on Corkscrew. This is not the first time this has happened," said Anna Hutchinson.
The Hutchinsons said the Naples Police Department is organizing a vigil in the neighborhood this weekend for the family, so they can remember a father, a public servant, and a friend.
“My heart goes out to their family," said Anna Hutchinson.
In addition to his major impact on this community, Sgt. Reidy also was awarded two Phoenix awards in Collier County for saving lives through his work as a police officer. He leaves behind a wife and four children.
