Camp Lejeune Marines killed in rollover crash were 18, 19 years old

Two young marines were killed in a military vehicle rollover crash in Jacksonville on Wednesday.

Johnathan E. Gierke, 19, from Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Zachary W. Riffle, 18, from Kingwood, West Virginia, were both killed in the crash, officials announced on Friday.

State Highway Patrol Sgt. Devin Rich said while the 7-ton military was making a right turn, it lost control, overturned and ejected the marines that were in the back of the truck into the road. Louis Barrera, 19, from Springfield, Tennessee, was charged with one count of exceeding a safe speed and two counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

Fifteen marines were transported to local hospitals by ground and two other marines were airlifted at around 1 p.m. after the crash on N.C. Highway 210 and U.S. Route 17.

Both Gierke and Riffle began serving in the Marines in March of 2021 and both had received National Defense and Global War on Terrorism Service medals.

The two marines who were airlifted after the crash are in stable condition, according to officials.