An East Moriches father mourns son who died in a Florida motorcycle crash

At a time when they should be celebrating with family, an East Moriches mom and dad are searching for answers after their son died on his birthday in a motorcycle accident in which he was hit by eight drivers.

John “Jack” Dyer Jr., 26, who was recently honorably discharged from the Army where he trained as a paratrooper, lost control of his 2024 Kawasaki motorcycle at 6:22 p.m. on Dec. 17 on a dark stretch of US-27 in Lake County, Florida.

Eight motorists behind him struck his body as it lay in the southbound lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol crash report.

The drivers all remained at the scene and were interviewed by police. No charges have been filed and the investigation continues.

Dyer’s father, John Dyer Sr., a retired FDNY firefighter, said that he and his wife had sent birthday wishes to their son that day, but didn't hear back. Instead, a police officer showed up at their Long Island front door with the tragic news.

“Police said that he separated from his motorcycle,” the father said. “Somehow he crashed, whether he hit a pothole or a slick spot or went into a wobble, and he wound up in the roadway and he wasn’t seen and however many people ran him over. I’m hoping to God the first one killed him so he didn’t suffer.”

John Dyer Jr., one of three children that the Dyers adopted from Russia, had moved to Orlando after growing up on Long Island to work security at Disney World, a place that had fascinated him since his time in the orphanage, his father said.

“The other kids in the orphanage told him that Disney World wasn’t real. It was all made up,” Dyer Sr. said. “When we took him down for the first time, he was so enthralled by the whole thing. He said Goofy looks too tall to be real, but Mickey’s definitely real.”

The Long Island couple originally intended to adopt one child, but ended up bringing John Jr., then 6, and his two sisters, from Russia.

Early teachers’ comments show he was a quick study. “Follows directions well,” his father read from one of his report cards.

He attended Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School in Riverhead and, as a teen during summers, worked at Harbes Family Farm in Mattituck, selling barbecued corn for $5 an ear.

“I think he did it for the girls. He would bring home these girls that looked like they came out of a magazine,” John Dyer Sr. said. “He was always such a hardworking young man.”

When he graduated, he decided to forego college and drive to Disney World, where he got a job working security. “He basically just jumped in his car and drove down there,” his dad said. “He was so spontaneous.”

John Dyer Jr. felt a strong obligation to his adopted country after spending his early years in a Russian orphanage.

Inspired by his adopted mother’s father, an Irish immigrant who lost an arm in the Korean War, John Dyer Jr. enlisted in the Army.

“He said, ‘My grandfather, who I never knew, was an immigrant and he served his country. I’m an immigrant and I’m going to serve my country. I think all immigrants should serve their country.’ I was so proud of him. So proud,” John Sr. said.

The young soldier trained with the 82nd Airborne Division and was stationed in Germany, John Sr. said, serving from 2019 through March of this year. He moved back to Florida and was working for a private security company at the time of his death.

A childhood friend, Eddie Werner, 25, a nursing home worker in Center Moriches, said “He had the heart of a true soldier … The Army had helped him mature.”

He described his friend as “a really good-hearted guy.”

The wake for John Dyer Jr. will be held at Robertaccio Funeral Home in Center Moriches Friday, Dec. 29, followed on Saturday by a funeral Mass at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, also in Center Moriches, at 11 a.m.