Philadelphia police officer killed in off-duty motorcycle crash
Officer Eric R. Tomko, 47, of Bensalem, was killed in a crash Saturday night in Woodland Township in Burlington County.
A Philadelphia police officer died over the weekend in an off-duty motorcycle accident in Burlington County.
Officer Eric R. Tomko, 47, of Bensalem, was riding a Yamaha motorcycle east on Route 72 in Woodland Township just before 8:50 p.m. Saturday when he collided with a westbound Chevrolet Silverado making a left turn onto County Road 532, the New Jersey State Police said.
The impact caused Tomko to be ejected. The motorcycle then struck a Ford Escape traveling behind the Silverado. Tomko sustained fatal injuries, the state police said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Tomko was on his way to join his family at the Jersey Shore, according to an online fundraiser to benefit his wife and two young children.
Tomko joined the Philadelphia Police Department in 2008, and most recently was assigned in Center City to the 6th District, which covers Old City and Chinatown.
“Gone too soon. We love you Eric,” the 6th District posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.
Another police account representing the South Street mini-station posted: “Rest in peace sir. Thank you for your dedication and service to our city and the United States of America.”
Tomko served in the U.S. Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the fundraiser.
A funeral Mass for Tomko is scheduled for Oct. 2 at 11:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Southampton.
Interment will follow at the Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown.