The funeral for Trooper Jimmy Cenescar, who died in a crash while attempting a traffic stop, will be held next week, the Georgia Department of Public Safety said.
Investigators believe Cenescar tried to stop a motorcycle for a traffic violation Sunday afternoon on I-85 North in Gwinnett County when his vehicle left the road and struck an embankment near Old Peachtree Road. He was taken to Northside Gwinnett Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Cenescar was 28.
Visitation will be held Feb. 8 from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Crowell Brothers Funeral Home in Peachtree Corners, the DPS said. The funeral is planned for Feb. 9 at 11 a.m. at Mount Paran Church in Atlanta, with burial to follow at Mount Harmony Memorial Gardens in Mableton.
On Tuesday, various law enforcement agencies escorted Cenescar’s casket from GBI headquarters to the funeral home.
Cenescar was the fifth officer to die in the line of duty across the country in 2024, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths. Of the five, two have been from Georgia.
Cenescar had been employed with the DPS since January 2023 and was a graduate of the 114th trooper school, the agency said. Prior to becoming a trooper, he worked for the Atlanta Police Department, where he was previously hailed as a hero for his efforts saving a life.
In October 2021, Cenescar saved the life of a motorist who crashed and drove off a bridge on Marietta Road and Thomas Street, Atlanta police said after the incident. Cenescar was flagged down by a witness reporting a driver was still in a vehicle some 50 feet below the bridge. But a large, locked gate blocked a gravel driveway leading to the site of the wreck.
“I had to take action quickly to get that driver out of the vehicle because I knew under that bridge was a train track,” Cenescar said in a video released after the incident.
The officer got permission from a supervisor to push through the gate with his patrol vehicle, and that’s what he did to reach the injured driver.
On Wednesday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens issued a statement on Cenescar.
“Like so many, I’m deeply saddened by the death of Georgia State Patrol trooper and former Atlanta Police Officer Jimmy Cenescar, a dedicated member of the Department of Public Safety, who tragically lost his life in a crash while attempting to stop a motorcyclist,” Dickens said. “This serves as a poignant reminder of the risks that law enforcement officers face every day to ensure our safety. I ask all Atlantans to keep Officer Cenescar’s family and loved ones in their prayers.”
Cenescar is survived by his parents and fiancée. He was also a student at Georgia Gwinnett College and was on track to graduate in the spring, the college said.
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