Trooper Eli McCarson, 30, was killed in an on-duty crash in Salem County last Thursday when his troop car struck a utility pole near Route 49. Watch video
GLASSBORO -- Thousands of police officers from across New Jersey and surrounding states stood sentinel Wednesday afternoon as the hearse carrying Trooper Eli McCarson passed.
McCarson, 30, was killed in an on-duty crash in Salem County last Thursday when his troop car struck a utility pole near Route 49.
Friends and family described the trooper as a dedicated public servant and newlywed husband who cared deeply about God, his family and his colleagues on the force.
"He led us, he taught us, he protected us and he never put himself before someone else," his brother Nate said during a funeral service at Rowan University in Glassboro.
N.J. trooper killed in crash 'had a gift' for policing
Outside the university's Pfleeger Concert Hall, troopers assembled to march in formation through the rain, stretching the length of a football field from the entrance of the concert hall to pay their respects.
Capt. Stephen Jones said troopers throughout the state are affected anytime there is a loss, no matter the station.
"Everyone pulls together, and as a family, you feel the loss," Jones said.
McCarson was the second on-duty member of the State Police to die on the road in 2015 -- the worst year for division fatalities in decades. The last time the division saw more than a single death in a year was 1984, when three troopers were killed in separate incidents, according to data from the State Police and the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Officials said the cause of the crash, which occurred on Dec. 17 around 10:45 a.m., after McCarson responded to a domestic dispute call, is still under investigation.
His family said McCarson's life's goal was to become a trooper.
"He was turned down from the State Police twice," his brother said in an interview before the funeral. "Then on his third try, he finished near the top of his class."
He was accepted into the State Police academy in August of 2014 and graduated this February, said State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes. First assigned to Port Norris, he recently transferred to the Woodstown station in Salem County.
"Eli loved the spit and polish of the uniforms," Fuentes said.
The colonel said beneath every trooper's cap is a plastic pocket used to keep their identification and other important documents close at hand. It's also a tradition among troopers, Fuentes said, to store remembrance and prayer cards for fallen police officers there.
"Every time we touch our hat in salute ... we will remember Trooper McCarson," Fuentes said.
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who spoke to McCarson and his classmates in the academy's 155th class in February, said she had told the new troopers they would "make a difference in the lives of others," and that McCarson did just that.
"What he did will live on in each of you," Guadagno said.
With a huge American flag hanging nearby from the ladder of a fire engine, the State Police Pipes and Drums of the Blue and Gold played the traditional "Going Home" as pallbearers escorted the casket to the waiting hearse. McCarson was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Washington Township.
While the ceremony had all the trappings of a somber police funeral, there was also live Christian music, and friends and family took turns telling stories about the trooper who was also "the guy who brought the party."
During his eulogy, Nate McCarson recalled the last text message exchange he had with his older brother. Eli, a "Star Wars" fanatic, was recounting a traffic stop where the driver he pulled over for speeding had a miniature X-wing, one of the star ships from the movies, on his dashboard.
The trooper, Nate McCarson told the crowd, was himself excited to see latest film, which was about to be released, and asked the driver if he planned on seeing it.
The man paused, recognizing a fellow fan. "You will not give me a ticket," he said, mimicking the series' famous "Jedi Mind Trick."
"I will not give you a ticket," the trooper deadpanned. He let him off with a warning.