A helicopter touched down last night at the Schenectady County home of John Grassia III to honor his service.

Grassia, a New York State trooper assigned to Troop G, was killed when the UH-72 Lakota helicopter he was in crashed near the southern border last Friday.

Grassia and Columbia High School graduate Casey Frankoski were killed

A third Capital Region native, Rensselaer High School graduate Jacob Pratt, was severely injured in that crash. He is being treated at Texas McAllen Medical Center.  

The Department of Defense said the crash occurred near the U.S.-Mexico border while flying as part of a federal border mission.