STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Jordan Yulfo was always the life of the party.
“His energy, laughing, making people laugh; just not caring what people thought,” said his older brother Justin Doyle. “He was just always himself, you know? I mean, never put on a persona for anything.”
Yulfo, 22, of Eltingville, died Tuesday morning in a motorcycle crash on Arthur Kill Road in Great Kills. His brother said Yulfo, a Tottenville High School graduate, was headed to work on a route he had taken dozens of times.
Police said the crash occurred at approximately 4:40 a.m., when Yulfo’s Harley-Davidson collided with a 2017 Ford Fusion making a left turn from Arthur Kill Road onto Armstrong Avenue. The driver of the other vehicle, a 54-year-old man, remained at the scene, police said.
Beloved uncle, skilled welder
Doyle said his brother loved spending time with his nieces and nephews and would frequently ride out to his home in Pennsylvania to see them.
“I was just looking at pictures, actually…he was always having them on the bikes in front of the house and stuff like that, just always dancing and laughing.”
Yulfo worked as a welder after graduating from Lincoln Technical Institute in New Jersey. He pursued the trade after a friend who had encouraged him to enter the profession died, according to his family.
Jordan Yulfo, left, poses with his brother, Justin Doyle. Courtesy of Justin Doyle
“He got really into it when his friend Joey passed away,” recalled Doyle, who is a firefighter in Allentown, Pennsylvania. “Jordan went to school for that, and finished it and everything. It’s cool.”
‘He loved bikes’
Family and friends said Yulfo had a love for motorcycles that traced back to middle school, when he would ride pedal bikes with friends around Staten Island. But it was more than just a hobby.
“It was like his second life, you know?” said his friend Dan, who asked that his last name not be published. “He loved bikes, that’s what he loved to do.”
Doyle agreed, saying his brother was happiest when he was riding his motorcycle. “He just loved it, that was like his free zone. He loved riding.”
Jordan Yulfo, left, with his mother and brother, Justin Doyle. Courtesy of Justin DoyleCommunity in mourning
Yulfo’s family described him as a social person who was never short on friends.
“He’d come out here (Pennsylvania) and go cruising, come back with 50 new friends,” said Doyle. “Anywhere he went, he would just make friends and literally leave such an impression, he was just a genuine person.”
On Tuesday afternoon, a makeshift memorial was set up at the corner of Arthur Kill Road and Armstrong Avenue, where friends and acquaintances paid their respects.
On Tuesday night, a candlelight memorial for Yulfo was also held at a relative’s home. Videos shared by attendees showed burnouts and loud engine revs as a final salute from the biker community.
Friends and family of Yulfo gathered Tuesday night to honor his memory with burnouts, loud revs and acts of generosity for the deceased’s family. Courtesy of Justin Doyle
Doyle said a group of Yulfo’s friends also gathered at the family’s home in Eltingville. They sat on blankets in the street and helped family with overdue chores on the property.
“My brother used to always tell my mom to record him from the window, and she couldn’t anymore, because a tree grew there, and you couldn’t really see, because the branches and everything…Yesterday people had blankets in the street, just sitting down,” said Doyle. “His one friend had a chainsaw, and they’re cutting the tree down, they’re dragging the branches to the backyard, they’re just cleaning up in front of the house, I know it’s helping out my mom a lot.”
A GoFundMe page created in Yulfo’s memory says it aims to help the family with funeral costs and a memorial service. It reads in part:
“He (Yulfo) was the friendliest person around and everybody he knew loved him … truly a one of a kind person. May he rest in peace.”
The fundraiser can be found at gofundme.com/f/help-honor-jordans-memory-2ytjw.