The Bridgeport Police Department is mourning the sudden unexpected death of a longtime officer.

"I just got the news that he passed away on a cruise ship on vacation,” says retired Bridgeport police officer Nick Ortiz.

Ortiz says his world came to a stop a few days ago when his former boss, Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter, reached out to him unexpectedly.

"Last week, I pick up the phone and I say, ‘Hey, what's up chief?’ He goes, ‘Did you hear that Roger passed?’ I said, ‘What? What are you talking about?’" Ortiz says.

Roger Reid, 59, served as a Bridgeport police officer for more than 25 years before retiring in 2019, though he continued working security for the City of Bridgeport until he died. Reid also worked as a security officer for Newtown High School and most recently as a security guard at Bridgeport City Hall.

"The man was just an amazing individual. Loved by his community, loved by the youth," says Ortiz.

"It's really a sad situation that he passed tragically like this," says Porter.

Porter remembers his longtime friend and colleague never letting limited funding negatively impact the people Reid served in the programs he ran.

"I'd say we don't have money to buy food anymore in the grant and he would just buy the food anyway out of his own pocket," Porter recalls.

Bridgeport city official Terron Jones says while the exact cause of Reid's death has not been made public, what he knows for sure is that Bridgeport has lost a truly beloved public servant.

"Just overall an incredible guy,” says Jones.

"This is the kind of man that has now gone and passed on into heaven. A wonderful, wonderful human being," Ortiz said.