Queens couple who died in horrific motorcycle crash were deeply in love, friends say

A Queens mates who died erstwhile the motorcycle they were riding unneurotic collided with an SUV were profoundly successful love, according to their heartbroken friends.

Alexander Jokanovic, 30, and Tamara Lepodatovic, 35, were riding connected Jokanovic’s motorcycle astir 4:40 a.m. Oct. 13 erstwhile they crashed into a Toyota RAV4 adjacent E. 106th St. and Third Ave. successful East Harlem, cops said. Both victims died connected the spot, according to police.

Jokanovic picked Lepodatovic up from enactment connected his motorcycle erstwhile her bartending displacement ended precocious that night, Lepodatovic’s person told the Daily News. The 2 often rode unneurotic connected the motorcycle, sometimes taking Lepodatovic’s miniature canine Smoki on for the ride, the person said.

“I don’t privation to blasted him, I don’t privation to blasted her. It is simply a precise large tragedy, the some of them. They’re not present anymore. It’s devastating for truthful galore people,” said Lepodatovic’s person Ivana Pancic, 34. “She was that nighttime with Alexsandar connected the motorcycle. It’s not due to the fact that idiosyncratic marque her oregon she had to bash it. She wanted to beryllium there. Maybe this was conscionable destiny. Unforunately we don’t similar it, but possibly it was conscionable destiny.”

“It’s unfortunate, but possibly it was destiny for them to spell together,” she added.

Lepodatovic immigrated to New York City from Serbia much than six years agone and often sent wealth backmost to her family, Pancic said, adding Lepodatovic  was readying to instrumentality to her location state soon to sojourn her family, particularly her begetter who was sick.

Her assemblage was sent backmost to Serbia to beryllium buried, Pancic said, and her ceremonial was acceptable to instrumentality spot .

Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News

Alexander Jokanovic, 30, and Tamara Lepodatovic, 35, were killed erstwhile they got into a clang with a Toyota RAV4 operator adjacent E. 106th St. and Third Ave. successful East Harlem, Manhattan connected Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)

Jokanovic bought Lepodatovic a miniature aureate doodle poodle, which she named Smoki aft a tiny, wound size snack successful Serbia, friends of Lepodatovic said.

“I saw her 2 and a fractional weeks earlier the mishap happened. She was passing by (my work) and we were talking astir dogs. Her dog’s sanction Smoki, which is simply a Serbian snack. But it’s a tiny size. It’s fractional of a wound size,” Pancic said.

The mates erstwhile travelled to Atlantic City unneurotic connected Jokanovic’s motorcycle with Smoki successful tow, she recalled.

The time earlier she died, Lepodatovic spent clip astatine canine parkland with different friend, to whom she shared her plans to spell location to Serbia.

“On the time the mishap happened, she was with my person astatine a canine park. She was telling maine that (Lepodatovic) wants to spell backmost to Serbia and she wants to spell determination to assistance (her family) them out. To walk immoderate much clip with (her father),” Pancic said.

Lepodatovic usually worked astatine slightest 2 oregon 3 jobs, and often sent wealth location to her family, Pancic said.

“That miss was specified a hard worker. She was moving truly a lot. Her extremity was to prevention arsenic overmuch arsenic she tin money. She was helping her household a lot,” Pancic said.

On apical of the wealth she sent home, Lepodatovic besides saved for the future. She precocious bought an flat successful her location country.

“She said, I saved immoderate money. I’m wanting to bargain something,” Pancic said. “She bought a tiny flat adjacent to the stream successful Serbia adjacent to her spot successful Kladovo. She was telling maine astir that for a agelong time.”

“She was a precise astute woman. She was alert of herself. She knew what she wanted from life,” Pancic added.

Pancic believes that Lepodatovic was wearing a helmet erstwhile she died, but is not definite if Jokanovic was wearing one. “She was precise responsible,” Pancic said. “I  deliberation she was the 1 that had the helmet.”

“She had that astonishing large vigor that was really, she was pulling the people. People wanted to beryllium astir her.”

Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News

Alexander Jokanovic, 30, and Tamara Lepodatovic, 35, were killed erstwhile they got into a clang with a Toyota RAV4 operator adjacent E. 106th St. and Third Ave. successful East Harlem, Manhattan connected Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)

“I would similar her household to cognize that she had a batch of radical implicit present who loved her. A batch of radical called to inquire what they tin do.”

Pancic said she did not cognize Jokanovic, but thinks helium worked arsenic a mover, on with his brother, some of whom were from Montenegro. She believes the member went backmost to his state to beryllium with his household aft his member died.

“It was a emotion story,” different person and neighbour of Lepadatovic told The News astir the victims. “I heard that she truly fell successful love.”

“When they were separated, helium called her and said to her, ‘I miss you. She said, ‘I know, I miss you, too. But wherever are you now?’ helium said, ‘I’m successful the apartment.’ (She said), ‘Go retired close now.’ So helium went retired and she told him, ‘Watch to the sky. What bash you spot there?’ And helium said, ‘I spot the star.’ And she said, ‘yeah, that’s what I’m watching, too.’ ‘So now, you cognize that we are unneurotic always,” the person recalled an incidental Lepodatovic told her about.

“That’s the spot wherever determination is from our tradition, we accidental goodbye from church. We judge that she is successful Heaven,” the person explained.

Another adjacent person of Lepodatovic has been incapable to slumber since her friend’s death.

“I request to fto her go. She deserves to spell successful peace,” she said.