The teenager killed when the car he was driving the wrong way on Route 1 in Revere crashed into another vehicle early Sunday was a senior at Triton Regional High School in Newbury, officials said.
“Those who knew him saw daily how kind and caring he was to each and every member of our school community,” Brian L. Forget, superintendent of the Triton Regional School District, said in a statement.
Forget did not name the student, who hasn’t been identified by authorities.
“We are heartbroken, and as a community, we grieve this loss,” Forget said. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family.”
Forget said the school community is focused on supporting students and staff members in the aftermath of the tragedy.
The school will have counselors on hand this week.
“District-wide counselors and support staff will be available [Monday] and throughout this week at Triton High School for any student or staff member who needs them,” Forget said.
Just before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, officials responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a wrong-way driver traveling south near Saugus and Revere, according to State Police.
The driver, 17, struck another car head-on near Sargent Street in Revere, and his car became “completely engulfed in flames,” a State Police spokesperson said.
The wrong-way driver was killed in the crash. The other driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to a Boston hospital, officials said.
All lanes on Route 1 were shut down Sunday until approximately 8:15 a.m. The crash is under investigation by the Suffolk District Attorney’s office.
The fatal collision comes amid renewed efforts by Governor Maura Healey’s administration to deploy technology designed to stop motorists before they enter highways going the wrong direction.
Wrong-way crashes tend to be at least 12 times deadlier than other car accidents, studies show. In Massachusetts, at least 135 people have died in 5,506 wrong-way crashes since 2018, according to AAA.
That includes 22 deaths in 2025, the highest annual toll during that period.
Sunday’s crash also occurred on the same highway where State Trooper Kevin Trainor, 30, was killed earlier this year after responding to reports of a wrong-way driver on Route 1 in Lynnfield.
Trainor had just finished his overnight shift and was driving home when he responded to the emergency call.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.