ATLANTA — Jimmy Cenescar, according to a Georgia Gwinnett College profile from 2022, knew he wanted to be in law enforcement from an early age. Born in Haiti, his parents emigrated to the U.S. when he was four, and he said that "hard work and the tenacity to never give up was instilled in me" by his family.
Cenescar was on a bright path in law enforcement, first with the Atlanta Police Department while he was at GGC and then with the Georgia State Patrol, where he graduated from the 114th Trooper School in Jan. 2023.
He died in the line of duty in a crash on Sunday, leaving behind his loving family and a fiancée, according to a statement by Gov. Brian Kemp.
The 2022 GGC profile, in the school's magazine "Engage," was focused on a 2021 incident in which Cenescar, who was at the time with the Atlanta Police Department -- saved a man's life.
11Alive reported on that incident at the time, and you can see video from that report in the YouTube player at the bottom of this story. The episode underscored Cenescar's fearlessness as an emerging law enforcement officer.
On Oct. 21, 2021, Cenescar was called to an accident in northwest Atlanta and flagged down by a witness who told him a driver had gone off a bridge and fallen some 50 feet.
Cenescar said he knew he had to act quickly because he knew there were train tracks underneath the bridge.
"So, I notified my supervisor," he said. "The only way I could get to the driver is by breaking through a gate."
APD said at the time that the driver was transported to the hospital in serious but stable condition.
"While the gate caused extensive damage to the patrol vehicle, it was the fastest way Officer Cenescar knew to access the vehicle and assist anyone who was injured," APD said in 2021. "We are proud of his efforts."
Cenescar told "Engage" in 2022 that his aunt, whose dream was to become an officer herself, was an inspiration.
"Now, my aunt is not only living her dream of being an American police officer through me, but thanks to her and my grandmother, I truly enjoy helping people," he said.
According to the "Engage" profile, Cenescar first moved to Florida with his parents in 2000 -- his father working for a taxi company and his mother working in patient care to raise six children. They moved to Georgia in 2008 and he graduated from Paulding County High School in 2015.
"All of Georgia is in mourning today for Trooper Jimmy Cenescar," Gov. Kemp's statement said Monday. "As a young public safety officer, he was at the beginning of a life with years of experiences and opportunities that lay ahead and a career dedicated to protecting others."
The governor added: "We ask all Georgians to join us in reflecting on the heavy sacrifices brave men and women like Trooper Cenescar make each day for the safety of our communities."