MONTOUR TOWNSHIP -- Friends are remembering a state trooper who died in a motorcycle crash Wednesday night in Columbia County.
Trooper Royce Engler was off-duty when he crashed his bike near Bloomsburg.
A model trooper is how co-workers from the state police barracks near Hazleton remember Royce Engler.
Engler died when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed along a ramp from Route 11 to Route 42 near Bloomsburg.
Police said Engler was off-duty and not wearing a helmet. They said he had just left a nearby restaurant. Police also said speed and alcohol didn't play a part in the crash.
Engler's father is the Wright Township Police Chief in Luzerne County. Dan Frascella is a supervisor for Wright Township and knows the Englers well.
"Royce has been here for over 30 years and has always been a model officer. And his son, Ree, has been a model citizen. I remember from a small boy playing little league," said Frascella.
Fellow troopers at the state police barracks in Hazleton call Trooper Engler "Roy." The people who knew him growing up called him "Ree." They said he loved to hunt. He enjoyed the beach, and he loved being a part of law enforcement.
""He always wanted to be a State Trooper and when he finally got in, he was very happy and he made an excellent trooper because he is compassionate and he has concern for the citizens and everything," said Frascella.
State Police said there's no policy for troopers wearing helmets when they're off-duty, but they are required to wear them on-duty.
Funeral arrangements are still being worked out for Trooper Engler.