A community of motorcyclists is mourning a beloved rider who died after Pa. State Police say he was thrown from his motorcycle on a highway ramp in Philadelphia Monday night. Karl Kirschner, 33, was riding from I-95 south to I-676 west when he crashed along the ramp, according to state police. Police said Kirschner was wearing a helmet. His motorcycle was found on the highway, but Kirschner had been thrown from the bike and landed several stories below at 2nd and Callowhill streets. He later died at the hospital. State police are investigating and have not said what caused the crash. Kirschner was an avid motorcyclist and a member of FEAR Bikers of Montco. Members of the group gathered at their usual meetup spot in Gilbertsville Tuesday night, this time without Kirschner. “He was always jokes, sarcasm ans fun. But he was also supportive, loving, caring and he was just a great person all around,” his friend Kelly Krepps said. Krepps said Kirschner was an experienced rider and that his death came as a shock. “Karl wasn’t a new rider. He wasn’t an unskilled rider. Didn’t want to believe it and sad, broken. We love him. We never want to see a rider go down. But didn’t see this. Didn’t want to see this. I wish it didn’t happen,” Krepps said. Kirschner’s partner, Michelle Zielynski, said she was likely one of the last people to speak with him before the crash. “The last thing I said is I’ve been riding a lot the last few days and hope you’re proud because he’s the reason I started riding,” Zielynski said. Less than 24 hours after losing her partner, Zielynski described what Kirschner meant to her. “He was my best friend. He was my supporter. He was my biggest cheerleader. He was everything in his own way. He was absolutely everything to me. I’m going to miss him,” Zielynski said. Zielynski said she plans to continue riding and will carry Kirschner’s memory with her. “I keep riding because he wants me to and that’s what I do and I always keep him in my heart when riding. He’ll always be with me,” she said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less