Sayreville Air Force Captain Killed In United Arab Emirates

SAYREVILLE, NJ — A U.S. Air Force captain who lived in Sayreville was killed Friday in a car crash on an Air Force base in the United Arab Emirates, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Captain Kelliann Leli, 30, of Parlin, died Friday, November 27 in what the Department of Defense called a "vehicle incident" where she was based at Al Dhafra Air Base.

Her death was not related to combat. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The Department of Defense announced her death Saturday and her remains were brought back to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Sunday in a casket draped in an American flag.

Leli was in the UAE supporting the United States' Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. She served as a medic in the Air Force. This was Leli’s first deployment.

When not serving overseas, she was assigned to the 60th Healthcare Operations Squadron at Travis Air Force Base in California. She was married to a fellow soldier, Captain Jimmy Leli, also with the U.S. Air Force. He is currently also deployed in Southwest Asia (the Middle East).

“Our Al Dhafra family is grieving the tragic loss of Capt. Kelliann Leli," said Brig. Gen. Larry Broadwell, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander, in a statement. "She was an exceptional medic, office and teammate here, and her incredible presence will be deeply missed. I ask our deployed community to look after each other during this difficult time, to warmly remember the positive impact that Capt. Leli had on our team, and to keep her loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”

“Our entire Travis family is beyond heartbroken over the tragic loss of our teammate, Kelliann," said Col. Corey Simmons of Travis Air Force Base. "We are thinking of and praying for all her loved ones during this unfathomable time.”

Leli graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. She was assigned to the Family Medicine Clinic at David Grant USAF Medical Center.