An Air Force doctor from the Parlin section of Sayreville was killed in a non-combat-related vehicle incident at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.

Capt. Kelliann Leli, 30, was assigned to the 60th Healthcare Operations Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, in California and was on her first deployment. Her husband, Capt. Jimmy Leli, was also stationed at Travis as a KC-10 Extender pilot in the 6th Aerial Refueling Squadron.

The cause of the crash was under investigation. Her body arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday.

“Our entire Travis family is beyond heartbroken over the tragic loss of our teammate, Kelliann,” said Col. Corey Simmons, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander in a statement. “We are thinking of and praying for all her loved ones during this unfathomable time."

Her parents, Frank and Patricia Seaman, attend said on their Facebook page that she will be buried in California but the Our Lady of Victories Church in Sayreville will celebrate a memorial Mass at a later date.

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, called the death "a true loss for her teammates and family members."

"My heart goes out to the loved ones of former Sayreville resident, Dr. Kelliann Leli," Coughlin said on Twitter. "They are all in our prayers."

 

 

Air Force Capt. Kelliann Leli - Dignified Transfer
A U.S. Air Force carry team transfers the remains of Capt. Kelliann Leli, Parlin, New Jersey at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Kelliann was assigned to the 60th Healthcare Operations Squadron, Travis AFB, California. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Quail)
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She arrived to Travis AFB in June 2016 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Leli earned her commission in 2012 before continuing her medical program. She was assigned to the Family Medicine Clinic at David Grant USAF Medical Center.

Flags flew at half staff at the California state capitol in her memory on Monday per the order of California Gov. Gavin Newsome.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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