OCCOQUAN, Virginia — The Town of Occoquan has honored Police Officer Justin Hendrickson for stopping at a catastrophic Interstate 95 crash while off duty, helping rescue people from a burning vehicle and providing first aid until fire-rescue personnel arrived.

The Town Council adopted Resolution R-2026-08 on Aug. 18. The recognition followed an Aug. 4 letter from a Virginia State Police trooper who said he witnessed Hendrickson’s actions during the May 29 crash in Stafford County.

An officer heading home chose to stop

Town records say Hendrickson was returning home after working as an Occoquan police officer when he encountered the crash on southbound I-95 at about 2:30 a.m. Five people died and more than 30 were injured in the incident, according to the resolution and the State Police commendation included in the council packet.

Despite the danger at the scene, Hendrickson stopped before emergency responders arrived. The official records credit him with assisting victims out of a burning vehicle, rendering lifesaving first aid and reassuring injured people until fire and rescue personnel assumed their care.

The State Police letter says Hendrickson’s calm demeanor, decisive actions, courage and compassion made a meaningful difference in the survival and welfare of victims. ThinBlueNews is not identifying crash victims or adding medical details beyond the official account.

Town recognizes courage and service

Hendrickson has served with the Occoquan Police Department since September 2022. The resolution says his actions reflected the department’s values of courage, professionalism, compassion and service.

At the council presentation, Mayor Earnie Porta said the rescue exemplified the best in law-enforcement officers and also thanked Hendrickson’s family, according to Potomac Local News. The local report says Vice Mayor Jenn Loges moved to adopt the resolution, Councilmember Robert Love seconded it and the council approved it unanimously.

The recognition focuses on a choice made outside a scheduled assignment: an off-duty officer saw people in immediate danger, stepped into a chaotic scene and stayed with the injured until the next layer of help arrived.

Readers can find more verified acts of service in our police hero stories, police rescue news and positive police news sections.

Sources and visual disclosure

Visual note: the featured image is a licensed photograph of downtown Occoquan. It does not show Officer Hendrickson, the I-95 crash, any victim or the rescue.

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