DENTON, Md. -- A sea of red and blue flashing lights escorted Officer Sam Ferracane from Baltimore to Denton Tuesday afternoon. Ferracane died in a car crash on Monday.
Ferracane leaves behind a legacy that goes beyond his badge. Working for the Annapolis, Federalsburg and Centreville Police Departments, Ferracane crossed paths with lots of people, many of whom were are a part of his procession.
One of the officers was Travis McQueen. Ferracane was McQueen's field training officer for the Annapolis City Police Department, and his best friend.
"He was my partner, he was my best friend, we became so close we became family, he was my brother, an uncle to my son, he was a great man, a loving husband, a loving father," said a choked up McQueen. "He was the type of person that would give you the shirt off his back and serve his community."
McQueen spoke about Ferracane's generosity while participating in a program called Shop with a Cop. McQueen said Ferracane loved children and was always willing to go the extra mile to help out.
"He would also spend his own money to purchase gifts and presents for young children in the community, he would also be the person that would voluntarily just walk around the community to say hi to everyone," said McQueen. "When someone needs help, he was right there by your shoulder to help you."
After Annapolis, Ferracane headed to Federalsburg, where he worked with Officer Jeff Adams. One thing that stuck out to Adams was Ferracane's work ethic.
"He was always go, go, go, go, he outperformed anyone that tried to go against him," said Adams.
Ferracane's competitive attitude didn't just pertain to work, even showing itself at trivia dinner.
"I swear the guy knew every freaking question, like a little trivia dinner, he knew every question," said Adams. "We couldn't even get two words in because he knew all the answers, it was almost like he had a freaking cheat sheet right there."
Adam's wrapped up the fond memory of his late friend on a sentimental note.
"Just a really good guy, really funny dude, definitely a family man, he's going to be greatly missed I'll tell you that," said Adams.
Ferracane's career eventually landed him in Centreville, working alongside Officer Nataly Amaya, who recounted Ferracane's ability to simply brush off the stresses that can accompany life as a police officer.
"He was just always positive, always smiling no matter what the situation is," said Amaya. "I looked at him like a big brother."
Amaya said among the many things Ferracane loved, were sweets.
"He loved eating his cookies, every shift he always had a cookie," said Amaya.
Ferracane's support went beyond his duties as Amaya's partner.
"He always told me 'you can come to me with anything'," said Amaya. "It didn't have to be job related, you know we would sit at a park and talk about life."
Samuel Ferracane Jr., a loving family man and dedicated police officer with a heart of gold.
If you would like to help the Ferracane family, there is a GoFundMe which can be found here. There is also a Meal Train, which can be found here.
