Central Berks Regional police Officer Kristen Yeager was killed Friday night in a crash while responding to a call for service in Earl Township, ending a life of duty in the middle of the work she had answered for every day.

Yeager was identified early Saturday after the crash, which happened around 8 p.m. near Route 73 and Manatawny Road. Emergency crews flooded the scene, and the police vehicle was later shown in a wooded area before it was removed just before midnight.

Her department said Yeager “served our community with courage, compassion, and unwavering dedication,” and that she answered the call to protect and serve while placing the safety of others above her own. It added that her commitment to her badge, her fellow officers and the citizens she served would never be forgotten.

That grief now reaches beyond one department. The crash took place in Earl Township, but the loss is being felt across the broader law enforcement community, where officers are accustomed to being the ones who arrive first and leave last.

Authorities have not released details about what caused the crash, leaving the most basic question unanswered even as the department asked people to keep Yeager’s family, friends and law enforcement family in their thoughts and prayers. For now, the facts are clear: an officer died on the way to help someone else, and the reason why remains unreleased.