Shirley motorcyclist killed in rear-ending on LIE service road

A Shirley man died early Saturday after his motorcycle was hit from behind by another vehicle, Nassau police said.

Thomas Berg, 59, of Parkwood Drive in Shirley, was riding a motorcycle on a service road near Exit 40 of the Long Island Expressway in Jericho, police said.

"He was a great person," said Berg's brother, William, adding Thomas had ridden motorcycles for more than 30 years. "He was always into his motorcycles."

Berg's motorcycle was struck at about 12:15 a.m. by a 2010 BMW, police said. The driver of the vehicle, Harris A. Fein, 21, of Jericho, has not been charged.

Berg was pronounced dead at the scene. The oldest of three boys, he grew up in Hauppauge and graduated from Hauppauge High School, his brother said.

Aside from his hobbies, which included martial arts training and scuba diving, Berg had a special place in his heart for children, his brother said.

"Every Christmas, he went around to different hospitals in Long Island and played Santa," William said.

Berg had a passenger on the motorcycle, a 60-year-old woman whose name was not released. The woman told police she felt shoulder pain from the accident and was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

An investigation is ongoing.

With Yamiche Alcindor