PHOENIX — An Arizona State University motorcycle officer died after being involved in a crash on the Loop 101 early Thursday.
The officer, identified as 54-year-old Officer Joseph Montgomery, was involved in a single-vehicle crash on the freeway at University Drive just before 8:30 a.m.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said Montgomery may have struck a wall on the freeway.
A spokesperson with ASU police said Montgomery was on his way to work when the crash occurred.
He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, the department said.
Montgomery was with the ASU Police Department for 13 years. He usually patrolled the downtown Phoenix campus.
He is survived by his wife and four grown kids.
"It’s a very difficult situation. You never want to lose an officer and with as respected as he was being here for 13 years — and that’s some longevity especially with our department — so it’s a big loss and it’ll leave a significant void," Adam Wolfe, an ASU police spokesperson, said.
The crash scene blocked the University Drive off-ramp.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. DPS is investigating the crash.