SAUGUS, MASS. (WHDH) - There is only one way in and one way out of the Breakheart Reservation in Saugus. Signs and painted arrows point the way for drivers visiting the popular hiking spot.
Just before 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, sources told 7NEWS a person entered the reservation through the exit and when a park ranger tried to stop the driver, the ranger was run over.
“It is a terrible thing to happen. It’s incredible,” park visitor Sean Leahy said.
According to those sources, the car’s side-view mirror struck the ranger in the shoulder and a tire ran over his foot.
“He’s a great guy. Everybody knows him,” said Don McQueen, who lives nearby. “He’s very helpful all the time.”
McQueen said he has seen his fair share of confused drivers over the years.
“I’m on my porch. I see them going the wrong way, I yell at them.”
“I have been coming here my entire life and I mean, the routes haven’t changed,” Leahy said. “Actually, I think they just repainted in the past six months anyway. So, I don’t know someone screws that up.”
Officers now say they are looking for a white pickup truck. They say the driver could be facing charges of trespassing and leaving the scene of an accident.
The ranger is OK and was back to work on Thursday.
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