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thedrifter
07-14-08, 02:45 PM
July 13, 2008


Marine home on leave dies in crash

25-year-old on leave from Iraq died in Staten Island motorcycle crash on Friday

LINDA SADLOUSKOS
STAFF WRITER

Marine Sgt. Thomas Neiper's family and loved ones worried and waited for the young man's safe return from a second tour of duty in Iraq this fall, and were overjoyed to see him arrive for a two-week leave at home that was supposed to last through Wednesday.

Then, shortly after 4 a.m. last Friday, came totally unexpected news. The 25-year-old South Plainfield native had died after losing control of the motorcycle he was riding on a dark curve of roadway leading to the Outerbridge Crossing into New Jersey, said his father, Carl Neiper.

Neiper was apparently killed instantly when he hit a guardrail straight-on on the Arthur Kill Road, his father said in a phone conversation from the family home on Pitt Street on Sunday afternoon.

At this point, Carl Neiper said, the family can only guess that Thomas, his youngest son, was in Staten Island to visit a friend, possibly another Marine. Neiper said he is hoping that someone will come forward to let the family know for sure.

Sgt. Mike Wysokowski, deputy commissioner of public information for New York City police, confirmed that police responded to a report of a motorcycle accident on the Arthur Kill Road at 4:14 a.m. and discovered Napier already dead after apparently crashing his Kawasaki motorcycle into a guardrail. No other vehicles were involved, Wysokowski said.

Serving in the Marine Corps and riding his motorcycle were two of the many aspects of his life his ""happy'' son loved, Carl Neiper said.

""He was a Marine through and through,'' Neiper said.

But Thomas, ""the caboose of the family,'' had many other interests and close ties with two older brothers and an older sister, their children and his many friends, including his fellow Marines, Neiper said.

Before his trip to Staten Island, Thomas Neiper had been in Manalapan visiting the young woman he was hoping to marry, his father said. Thomas Neiper's obituary said he loved Jennifer Radzewick of Marlboro ""with all of his heart.''

Carl Neiper said Thomas originally enlisted in the Marines in 2002, then re-enlisted in 2004. His son had taken some courses and worked as a contractor between those stints in the military, but his passion was really in serving as a Marine, Neiper said.

Thomas Neiper had remained in the Marine reserves even when he was not enlisted full-time, and he rose to the rank of sergeant, with a specialty in communications, his father said. Carl Neiper said he himself had formerly served in the Air Force and the shared experience of serving in the military was something father and son discussed.

Carl Neiper said he was confident his son had received the best training in the world as a U.S. Marine, ""but you still worry. I know how they operate.''

Thomas Neiper's second tour in Iraq began last October, and he was due home this October, his father said. Afterward, his son hoped to become involved in training other Marines at Camp Lejuene in North Carolina, he said.

While stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, "Tommy began surfing and snow boarding, two activities which he immediately loved and excelled'' at doing, his obituary said.

Thomas Neiper also enjoyed the outdoors, mountain biking and playing PSP video games, particularly with his nieces and nephews, his father said.

""He loved children,'' Neiper said.

Neiper said he didn't consider it abnormal for his son to be up so early in the morning, given the time shift from Iraq and his routine patrols as a Marine.

Thomas Neiper had been wearing his helmet, and was only inches away from a break in the guardrail that might have landed him in the grass if he'd slid off the road at that point, he said. He added that he hopes the family will learn more about where Thomas had been in upcoming days.

The Marine Corps will provide a full color guard from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the McCriskin-Gustafson Home for Funerals, 2425 Plainfield Ave., South Plainfield, his father said. The Marines will also provide a 21-gun salute outside the church service, to begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, at Wesley United Methodist Church, Plainfield Avenue, South Plainfield.

Carl Neiper said he had been hearing from many far-flung friends and his son's fellow Marines since the accident happened.

He also sadly recalled how happy he had been to get Tommy's phone call announcing that he was coming home for a 15-day furlough.

""Love your children as much as you can, because you never know,'' Carl Neiper advised.

Thomas Neiper is also survived by his mother, Jane (Stull) Neiper, two brothers, David and Carl Jr., and a sister, Pamela Neiper-Redo, as well as their children. His family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be made to Our Fallen Soldier, 6498 Willow Place, Carlsbad, CA 92011.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080713/NEWS/80713042

Ellie