Arverne Army Specialist to be Laid to Rest
By Katie McFadden
Randy Colon Jr., a U.S. Army Specialist from Arverne, has been called home. The 21-year-old was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina when he died in a car accident in his private vehicle. Colon was driving on I-95 in NC when he collided with a parked tow truck and was declared dead at the scene.
Colon enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 2022. He was assigned to the 3rd Aviation Regiment 82nd CAB. According to his Instagram account, he worked as a 15T Blackhawk Maintainer, and he had a love for cars. Many loved ones who offered condolences to Colon’s father called him “a great friend.”
Local resident Brian Galarza, an Army veteran and fleet service clerk for American Airlines, is assisting with his arrival to New York this Thursday. Galarza is coordinating with the NYPD, FDNY, and state patrol for his escort into Rockaway. Galarza says Colon’s remains will arrive at JFK Airport at 6:07 p.m. on Thursday, so he requests that Broad Channel residents and others line up along Cross Bay Boulevard between 7 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. to pay their respects as Colon and his family pass by on their way to Rockaway. On Friday, March 7, Colon’s wake and funeral service will be held at Denis S. O’Connor Funeral Home (91-05 Beach Channel Dr.). Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 5 p.m.
Friends and family will gather again at O’Connor’s on Saturday morning before continuing to Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, NJ, where Colon will be laid to rest.
