A man killed in a motorcycle crash in Harrisburg last week died while riding in a funeral procession for a friend who died in a motorcycle crash.

Luis Arroyo, 21, was among about 15 friends on motorcycles directly following the hearse containing the body of their friend Gerald "Chucky" Soto, on Aug. 3 when another tragic accident occurred, killing Arroyo.

According to witnesses:

Arroyo had lagged behind the group of motorcycles on Paxton Street as the funeral procession was headed to the Paxtang Cemetery to bury Soto, 29, a popular Harrisburg barber.

Arroyo sped up in the right lane to catch up the procession, which was headed east on Paxton Street and stopped at 19th Street. That's when a westbound driver turned her car during a gap in the procession to get onto Dean Street.

Arroyo didn't have time to stop and slammed into the passenger door of the car at full speed.

When the traffic signal at 19th Street turned green, the funeral home vehicles with flashing lights, flags and placards pulled forward but the pastor and funeral officials quickly noticed no one else was following. The hearse had to pull over to the side of the road and wait for about 30 minutes until police could clear the wreckage to allow the rest of the procession, which included about 30 vehicles, to continue.

Shell-shocked funeral-goers then had to proceed to the cemetery to a delayed interment for Soto knowing they had just lost another young friend.

Soto's widow, meanwhile, was riding in a car just behind Arroyo and the rest of the motorcyclists, potentially witnessing a motorcycle fatality just as she was preparing to bury the father of her two young children.

Two days after the crash that killed Arroyo, Harrisburg police released a photo of Arroyo and asked for the public's help to identify him.

Police Capt. Gabriel Olivera on Monday would not say where police got the photo of Arroyo or why other funeral goers could not have identified Arroyo.

Olivera said the accident that killed Arroyo was still under investigation and he would not answer additional questions.

The accident that killed Soto in the 1500 block of Paxton Street, just a few blocks away from the accident that claimed Arroyo, also remains under investigation, Olivera said.

Soto died July 25, two days after his motorcycle slammed into a bridge abutment on Paxton Street under Interstate 83 about 6:20 p.m. Police released no details about Soto's wreck, including direction of travel, whether any other vehicles were involved or what may have caused the wreck.

Soto and Arroyo ran in the same circles, both originally hailed from Puerto Rico and both cut hair. Soto owned a barber shop, VIP Style Barber Shop on South 13th Street, while Arroyo simply cut hair for friends and relatives in garages or houses so they could have fresh, clean cuts.

Friends say Arroyo moved to Harrisburg from Texas about 10 months ago to live with his brother, who has been living in the area for four and a half years.

The brothers were very close and trying to find a better life together in Pennsylvania, according to friends. They worked trimming trees and branches near overhead power lines.

Arroyo had a young son who still lived in Texas. Arroyo was planning to visit him soon for the boy's upcoming birthday.

Arroyo was a "good kid" according to people who knew him. They described him as fun-loving and an adrenaline junkie, happiest when he was riding a dirt bike or four-wheeler or driving his Suzuki Samurai jeep in the woods.

He liked to tinker with dirt bikes, tell jokes and make his friends laugh. He was good at everything he did, friends say, and he taught his friends how to pull wheelies on their dirt bikes and 4-wheelers.

Now his friends are preparing to attend another funeral. Details for Arroyo's funeral had not yet been arranged.