American serviceman falls to death from Yokosuka apartment

seems like bad things can happen to bad people. one less embarrasment to mankind.

RIP, and on Memorial Day weekend no less.

Maybe he had not taken out his trash? Empty bottles prove nothing.

Before I even got to this part of the story...

Police were quoted as saying that they found several empty whisky and beer bottles in the deceased man’s apartment.

Let me take a wild guess... Alcohol was involved...?

It's too bad.... and totally avoidable...

Here's how I guess it went down: Drunk. Slipped off his own balcony (7th floor). Grabbed the next balcony and pulls himself up (6th floor). What happened after this is where it gets interesting. He was standing on the 6th floor long enough for the home owner to call the police.

Now did the apartment owner panic when the serviceman asked to be let in (or tried to come in to get back to his apartment) and pushed the serviceman off? Or did the serviceman just fall again?

That's the real question.

Or maybe he was depressed and committed suicide.

It doesn't make sense that he would fall, get up, then fall again. He probably jumped, hit the balcony below him, then jumped again.

Ya , they found several ?? Come on ! I think he wouldn't have had to consume several to fall off he'd be dead on his own floor after two ! They just had to put that in there ...they couldn't wait until the autopsy report came in with a blood level alcohol check first ???

Could have been climbing up from the ground floor to get in to his own place?

Last paragraph was not needed, we all know what he did before he fell.

They needto ban all consumption if alcoholic beverages while assigned to japan. It is a huge international embarrassment caused by the us forces here.

Rest in peace, young fella. A life gone way too young. We've all done silly things in our time - I remember climbing down to my 5th floor balcony from my neighbours above after locking myself out - and a few beers - when I was his age. I lived to tell the tale, thIs poor guy sadly didn't.

What happened curfew imposed to all US military men in Japan?

Sad, very sad indeed. Can't imagine the pain that his parents might be feeling. This a very sad thing. My heart goes out to his family.

@ toshiko - usually curfews don't prohibit people from being in their own apartment building...

toshiko

What happened curfew imposed to all US military men in Japan?

For an E-5 or Second Class Petty Officer like this Sailor a curfew is still in place and they have to be in their residence or on base by midnight. I hope you're not suggesting that he violated his curfew when he fell to his death outside his residence...

This is horrible. No wonder there were so many emergency response vehicles running by this morning. :

They need to ban all consumption if alcoholic beverages while assigned to japan. It is a huge international embarrassment caused by the us forces here.

Absolutely. US military personnel are the only ones in Japan that cause problems due to excessive alcohol consumption.

@BurakuminDes: Since Nov, 2012, In addition to the 11 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew for all American servicemembers in the country, active-duty sailors are prohibited from drinking alcohol from 10 p.m.- 8 a.m., even in their homes, regardless of leave or liberty status, according to U.S. Naval Forces Japan spokesman Cmdr. Kenneth Marshall.===== Note even in their homes. There is no change for this regulation so far.

Back on topic please.

@toshiko clearly you aren't in Japan anymore cause that definitely isn't regulation anymore.

TBS reported that the resident of the sixth-floor apartment was awakened by a noise of crashing glass and called police to report that an intruder was on his balcony. ========= The investigation is not full yet, crashing glass noise. which glass? Does he have family in his apartment? If he has in Japan or USA, condolence to them.

Probably not suicide, there would be no reason to drop by the 6th floor. I suspect he was trying to break into the apartment on the 6th floor and something went wrong, or the 6th floor resident felt threatened and pushed him off.

The empty bottles in his apartment doesn't mean anything; recyclable trash is not picked up every week and can pile up quickly. Did his blood have a high alcohol content, that's what they should look at.

my name is kathy, i'm his mother. i don't come onto social media, but i knew i would have to today. my son, Alex, collected alcohol and other types of bottles that he thought were cool, especially the ones in japan. he never caused problems and was always in for curfew. he was a polite respectable man. who would go out of his way for any person who needed help in any way. please don't pass judgement until we get all the details. for those of you that wished us condolences, we appreciate them greatly. our son was a model citizen in every country that he visited and loved learning about the different foods and cultures. He was happy being part of the military and definitely not depressed. He had his future planned out, yes, he was a man with a happy plan. we don't know why he was not on his floor, so please wait for the investigation to be finished. my husband, myself and his two younger sisters are in hell right now, please have some sympathy. <3

@BurakuminDes: Since Nov, 2012, In addition to the 11 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew for all American servicemembers in the country, active-duty sailors are prohibited from drinking alcohol from 10 p.m.- 8 a.m., even in their homes, regardless of leave or liberty status, according to U.S. Naval Forces Japan spokesman Cmdr. Kenneth Marshall.===== Note even in their homes. There is no change for this regulation so far.

How do you know he didn't stop stop drinking after 10? NOT that it would matter. That rule is not enforceable.

They needto ban all consumption if alcoholic beverages while assigned to japan. It is a huge international embarrassment caused by the us forces here.

Would you follow that if you were in the military? Stop proposing solutions that impractical and impossible to enforce.

@Ms Kathy Spadea: I am sorry of your loss.

Dear Family Spadia, Please accept my deepest condolences. It is never easy to find the right words under such circumstances but, as one who lost a younger brother (stupid accident when he was only 14) I know how you all must feel. I admire your courage for commenting in this forum but realize that no words, only time will help to heal the pain.

Mrs Spadea, my deepest condolences on the tragic loss. May he rest in peace.

@Apollo: US Military in Japan has not changed that regulation so far. BTW. His mother bravely came out to explain the bottles are his collection. No, I am not a US military man in Japan, Are you? Condolence to them.

Mrs. Spadea, please accept my condolences for your treasured son. Alex is watching over you all now.

@toshiko Yes I am in Japan been here for 3 years..the curfew and drinking policy has changed a few times since its inception, from the one you just stated. Curfew for E-5 and below is 0000-0500. E-6 and above have no curfew. Drinking isn't secured for those times anymore either, just to name a couple.

I am saddened to hear of the death of this young man, and sense how devastating this must be to those who loved him.

Like most, I really want to understand what happened. I wonder if he was in his apartment at any time from midnight to the time of the fall, and who last talked with him. I'm confident the Naval investigative team will bring these details to light, but this is a very sad day.

You people are trying to find fault and continue to focus on a stupid curfew when we just lost a service member! Nothing that has been reported should be taken at face value until the investigation is complete. Please stop being insensative and pray for the family of this young man. My heart goes out to his entire family during this most difficult time.

I worked directly with the guy all the time. What happened to him is absolutely baffling. He was by far the chillest, most fun loving happy go lucky guy i've ever met. Never once heard him say a unkind word or do anything that would hurt someone else. Mrs. Spadea, i'm sorry this happened to your son. Believe me when I say he will be missed and you have the condolences of everyone here.

Mrs. Spadea my sympathies for your loss , as well for this poorly written article. There was no need to list that information about empty bottles on here.

Wow, some comments on here are touching and some are so undescribable! My name is Rodney, 1 of Alex's uncles! Yes today we have lost a great addition to our family and our world has lost a great addition also! He'll be so greatfully missed and loved forever! Please everyone out there, please give the family all the time they need to cope w/ this! Please Lord Jesus, bring peace and tranquility to us all that Alex has touched in his life! Please, US Navy, investigate this to the fullest and bring the family the closure they deserve as soon as ya'll know FOR SURE What Happened!! We love you Alex, till we all meet again!!

I actually think the last line of the article is horrifically insulting and insinuative (is that a word?!). My Dad also used to collect bottles. Did that make him an alcoholic? (Well, actually, yes, he was, but that had nothing to do with collecting the bottles!). How DARE the J police release information like that before they have even investigated. But with the police, nothing surprises me anymore.

To Mrs Spadea and Alex``s family and friends - I am so sorry for your loss.

I worked EN2 onboard the USS Stockdale and this is a great loss for the USN family along with a even greater loss to the Spadea family.

To those making jokes, rude comments, and being insensitive please note this is a 6 sentence report that has only included some basic information about what happened. For those of us who knew Alex, we know that there is more to this story and will respect the family by maintaining our composure and maturity. I ask the same for everyone else.

To the Spadea family, my heartfelt condolences. Your son deserves our respect for the sacrifice and service to his own country, to Japan, and any other country enjoying freedoms guarded by the Japan-U.S. alliance in the western Pacific. I also served in Japan and loved my nine years there.

Some people feel the urge to rant and vent and jump to conclusions, never stopping to consider they are reading incomplete and often sensationalized "news". The initial report was released in Japanese language to the Japanese press, then translated and summarized for this outlet.

I knew this young man and as a retired Naval officer, a person that spent lots of time in Yokosuka, I can say he was a treasure of our nation and the Navy. For those of you that are into speculation and conjecture, leave this one alone. His loss is not only tragic and heart breaking to his family, but also to countless others who came into contact with him. He was full of love and laughter, and this news, this sad event, has also torn the soul out of my son George, our family and his many, many friends. Leave him to rest in peace, he deserves it, he earned it, and leave his family to their grief and wonderful memories of this beautiful young man. Nicholas Gianacakos

To know for sure alcohol was involved will take tests. Once that is done than the alcohol comments are correct. It could of been a medical problem. He became disoriented fell perhaps catching the handrail of the apartment below.

First off let me say this to all of the people who assume the worst or trash talk EN2. You all need to stop the trolling. as a shipmate of his its offensive to not only those who served with him but to his family.

He accidentally locked himself out and as a climber wasn't afraid of attempting to climb down to the next floor to get some help. He collected beer and liquor bottles from every where he visited so don't assume he was drunk.

I hope that none of you have to loose a shipmate or loved one and have to read crap like this from trolls because no matter what he was a good guy and deserves to be remembered that way.

He accidentally locked himself out

Excuse me, but how do you happen to know this?

All of my brothers and sisters from USS Stockdale have maintained their composure and been civil in their requests to the people posting trash here to be respectful. I don't have that much patience for stupidity. Everyone here that is speculating and badmouthing my shipmate needs to shut up. you weren't there, you don't know the real story, and you obviously don't know him. Those of us who served with him know him as a squared away sailor and a wonderful human being. If you want to make petty remarks or trash talk the Navy, don't be such an ignorant coward that you have to post your inane and uneducated speculation here. If you have ANYTHING bad to say about this fine sailor, say it to my face, so that I can have the opportunity to verbally reduce you to the small minded hateful and pathetic waste of human flesh that you are. Spew your pitiful assumptions and display your ignorance and heartlessness somewhere else, not over the corpse of my shipmate.

To Alex's loved ones, you have my deepest sympathy, and I grieve with you. Alex will be missed by all who knew him.

-FC1(SW) Michael Sheldon, USS Stockdale, Plankowner

wow this happened to a friend of mine too, real drunk unfortunately

Yes the USS STOCKDALE is on deployment but he was no longer attached to the ship, I will maintain my composure out of respect for my fallen shipmate and the family and simply say that I too validate his time on the USS STOCKDALE as I severed as his barber on board the ship for 4 years and for someone to question that we all knew him is only speaking out of ignorance as I served with all that were on the ship who say they knew him, and yes English is all of our first language as if that has anything to do with the loss of my friend. He was kind and always asked me if I needed anything every time I saw him. Those that were fortunate enough to know him as I did know we don't have to make up a bunch of kind words to say about him just to be politically correct or kind. It is not hard to find truth when we speak of the kindhearted man that he was. He truly never spoke I'll of anyone even when those around him did. He was a person that would always encourage other to include myself when we had a bad day and always had a smile! Please all show respect and do not speculate as articles can be misleading and often times do injustice to the fallen. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, our friend and shipmate will be greatly missed.

I, in all honesty, do not know what to say Kathy.

I, am also sorry Aaron. From what I gathered from who this man was, he seemed like a great guy. I have never been a member on here, but after reading this article, it somehow made my eyes water. "I really don't know why"

I made a account today just to comment, even though that I have been here for seven years and I want to say, "may he find peace, and also in the process, make god laugh with his jokes."

If you are able too Aaron, tell us about him. It is not often that I am in contact with the recently departed friend's/coworkers. Tell us how he lived please, not how this article stated how he passed. Please.....

the resident of the sixth-floor apartment was awakened by a noise of crashing glass and called police to report that an intruder was on his balcony.

ok, the resident doesn't make some sense here. the petty officer fell to the ground at about 2:30am. the resident was awakened by noise of crashing glass. so obviously he was sleeping. can a person who is asleep at about 2:30am be easily awakened by the crashing noise of glass? why did he think there was an intruder? does the noise of crashing glass always mean an intruder in japan? if the petty office fell to the sixth floor by accident from his apartment, did he cry out for help after he fell? if he did, did the resident hear the cry for help? how long did it take for the police to show up after the call? what did the resident do during this period? well i don't know. a lot of things don't make sense in japan.

There is not one, but two people who claim to know this man. Please calr, and anybody else, I have not seen more than one person to state that they know a recently deceased.

Please, due to the circumstances, do not try to apply logic, or try to make sense of this particular article/incident, but instead, pay tribute to the guy who has passed. This is the right thing to do in my opinion.

Rest in peace Alex.

I am commenting on here for one reason. Mrs. Kathy Spadea I had the privilege of serving with your son onboard the USS Stockdale. The only things I remember him doing to excess were smiling, laughing, and proudly serving the greatest country in the world. Ignore the naysayers. They are not worth your time. You and your family are now and forevermore in mine and my family's prayers. May God hold you in the palm of His hand in the days and weeks to come.

CTT1 (SW) Chris Coday

@Apollo_

@toshiko clearly you aren't in Japan anymore cause that definitely isn't regulation anymore.

Oh yes it... Clearly you are misinformed.

They rescinded part of the curfew one, but NOT the drinking part. Better look it up..

I have been out of the Navy for 27 years and been in Japan for about 30 or so, and the one thing that leads to the death of most Sailors/ Soldiers here is just plain ole stupidity, we all have had our moments but luckily came out unscathed, this young man was not so lucky. If it was caused by drinking or if it was just playing around, it does not matter, he was most likely the cause of his own death. Please don't take offence to what I just wrote, I am just being honest.

Also, Mr. Plankowner, don't go trying to make all of us feel bad just because he was your shipmate, I feel for his parents and siblings ,I truly do, but if you don't want to hear other peoples thoughts or opinions, then don't read the comments, we are free to say whatever we want, and your First Class rank impresses very few. So no need to add all that at the end of your comment. And finally to Mrs. Spadea, I am truly sorry for your loss.

the petty officer fell to the ground at about 2:30am. the resident was awakened by noise of crashing glass. so obviously he was sleeping. can a person who is asleep at about 2:30am be easily awakened by the crashing noise of glass? why did he think there was an intruder? does the noise of crashing glass always mean an intruder in japan?

i have just viewed a video of the scene, with close-ups of the balconies of the 7th and 6th floor apartments. The glass of the sliding door to the balcony of the 6th floor apartment is taped up and covered as though it had been smashed. I would suspect that someone crashing through a glass door would likely wake up someone sleeping in the same apartment.

I believe the resident was reporting what he actually saw when he told police there was someone on his balcony.

Zichi.

Is that also true for members that are on-base and person in question appeared to have an apartment off-base.

His name is Alex Spadea and the reason I know this is because he IS FAMILY! His mother and shipmates have already posted comments. I really don't understand how you people can be this ignorant. How can you sit there and question if this is real and if the people commenting are real.... Saying his name hasn't been mentioned... When people are mentioning his name in comments. He was my cousin. His mother came on here to stick up for her only son. And yet you people continue this ridiculously stupid nonsense. How would you feel if this was your 24 year old son or cousin... How would you feel coming on this site and seeing a bunch of people arguing and questions the grieving family and friends... Stop being so disrespectful and get it through your head that a respected young man died. RIP Alex. You will be missed...

Everybody calm down please.

The glass of the sliding door to the balcony of the 6th floor apartment is taped up and covered as though it had been smashed. I would suspect that someone crashing through a glass door would likely wake up someone sleeping in the same apartment.

I believe the resident was reporting what he actually saw when he told police there was someone on his balcony.

So it does appear that he was trying to break into the 6th floor apartment.

Man, I am speechless. First and foremost my sympathies to the Spadea family. I do want to hear the results of the full investigation to find out what happened. This is incredibly sad. What news to hear on Memorial Day no less. May he be in a better place now. Be careful out there people and stay safe. This applies to everyone.

There is absolutely no reason why this Sailor should have fallen from his balcony or the balcony below his. Can anyone think of a single reasonable circumstance in which he could/should have ended up on the 6th floor balcony. I certainly can't. If he'd locked himself out on his balcony for some reason, then he should have called base 911 from his cell phone. If he didn't have a phone then at worst he should have broken his own window to gain entry, not climbed off his balcony on the 7th floor. As unfortunate as his death is and as much sympathy as I have for his family friends, and shipmates, barring a discovery of foul play of some sort, his death will be accounted for in much the same way as all other senseless and preventable non-accidental off-duty deaths are, as yet another promising young life brought to a premature end due to immaturity and poor judgment. I'm sorry if some find this is a harsh assessment but that's how I see it.

R.I.P Alex!!! Was an honor to serve with you on the Stockdale.... You were always smiling!!! Thanks for making RHIB operations a blast on deployment!!!! My heart goes out to your family <3

@USNinJapan2:

"As unfortunate as his death is and as much sympathy as I have for his family friends, and shipmates, barring a discovery of foul play of some sort, his death will be accounted for in much the same way as all other senseless and preventable non-accidental off-duty deaths are, as yet another promising young life brought to a premature end due to immaturity and poor judgment."

Very well said. The likelihood that alcohol played a part comes from the fact that, outside of sleeping, there are few things that people do between the hours of midnight and 2:30 am in Japan that don't involve drinking. Alcohol in the system does a number on judgment.

My condolences too Alex and his family as well.

I hope the results of the investigation would be made know on JapanToday at some point in time.

@Zichi: Also,coroners office does not release the name. If drunk, it states so without name. Ofteb family member(s) come out before official release names of deceised. So, I believe he was not drunk. He was very unfortunate.

Firstly my sincere sympathies go out to Mrs. Spadea and family. I have many American friend. Despite much of political and economic situation in States, I have nothing against common people who have suffered dearly at hands of their government and big business there. This man, Alex, was only doing his job. Yes I don't like US military in my country, but Alex was not a decision maker in that regard. This was very tragic accident, and his family needs all love and dignity support they can get. Please refrain from attacking him as he DIED in this horrible fall! He might have been American, but he was still HUMAN BEING! I'm sorry, but PLEASE show respect. That is our custom here in Japan, respect and honour!

Thank you!

He was an Engineman. For the sake of his family's peace I won't give his last name. We both Pre-Commissioned the USS STOCKDALE together. Why does this story not surprise me lol. He always enjoyed living every day like his last. RIP brother.

Very well said Satō, it was unfortunate that he died. I do not understand why people would dislike caring and concerned comments about this traumatic incident.

Thanks to James for a insight on how he lived. I'm very sure he knew how to have a good time.

@toshiko the new policy states that E-6 and above have no more cewfew but drinking "in plubic" is banned from midnight until 5 am. you are allowed to drink in your homes or residents .E-5 and below have a cerfew to be in their residents( this includes hotels, friends home, family members) from midnight and 5 am but are allowed to drink in that residents. The drinking policy went back same as before. On weekends, midnight to 5 am no drinking in public and weekdays 2200 until 0500 no drinking in public. hope this clears that up.

To Mrs spadea my sympathies goes out to you. I know how it feels to lose a love one and a shipmate, only time will make it heal.

Just waiting on the full report.

I was the Department Senior Chief with Alex on USS STOCKDALE, I was on his ass when he stepped out of line, I was one of the first to congratulate him for his many achievements, I watched him grow from a sometimes irresponsible teen to a focused young man, always improving himself, both physically and mentally, I was all over him to make sure he finished his college coursework over our last deployment, I challenged him to improve his personal fitness, I pushed him to complete qualifications to better him as a Sailor, he rose to the challenges each time with great success. I served with Alex for 4 years, he was not breaking into an apartment; I can only hope the investigation reveals the truth, but reguardless of the outcome, know ALL, that Alex Spadea was a great Sailor to serve with, a true friend to many, one that I am proud to call my Shipmate. Rest in peace Alex, you will be missed.

I served with Alex for 4 years, he was not breaking into an apartment; I can only hope the investigation reveals the truth,

I'm not so sure. We do know that the 6th floor resident was awakened by broken glass and he called the police because someone was on his balcony. There are images of the 6th floor window broken.

So, I believe he was not drunk. He was very unfortunate.

I am not sure you are helping his cause. All we know for sure is that he tried to break into the 6th floor apartment. If he did this sober, then ...

BTW, Stars and Stripes also mentions this incident, stating:

A Japanese police spokesman said that one of Spadea’s neighbors called police to report seeing him standing on their balcony earlier in the evening.

When police arrived Spadea allegedly broke a window and then disappeared. At the same time, a third floor resident called the police saying that they saw a person fall, the spokesman said.

I am surprised nobody left any comments at Stars and Stripes; I would have thought those close to Alex would have posted something there before doing so on JT.

@Kim : thank you for your info. Many people who knew him came out here to explain he was a wonderful man. And I believe he was not drunk. Very sad incident.

I am not sure you are helping his cause. All we know for sure is that he tried to break into the 6th floor apartment. If he did this sober, then ...

Allow me to offer another possibility: After concluding that he locked himself out on the balcony of his apartment, and successfully scaling down to the apartment below him, he was trying to knock on the sliding door in order to wake someone up to get some help and he ended up hitting the glass too hard. Alcohol in his system could have accounted for that. He was not trying to break in. No one who witnessed the event claims he tried to enter the apartment, even after the glass was broken.

I suspect he might have panicked -- once the door was broken -- to the point of thinking he could repeat his success of scaling down to the next balcony.

After concluding that he locked himself out on the balcony of his apartment,

Is it possible to lock yourself out on the balcony, or did somebody lock him out? My kids do it to me all the time, they think its funny.

he was trying to knock on the sliding door in order to wake someone up to get some help and he ended up hitting the glass too hard

If he was just trying to wake someone up, he must have been pounding really hard if it ended up breaking. Windows are hard to break. The 6th floor resident was woken up by broken glass, not by pounding on the window or someone yelling "sumimasen, excuse me, hello...."

I agree that he probably panicked and tried to rapidly escape the 6th floor balcony, but to me it seems more likely that he was trying to break in rather than trying to get someone's attention.

No one who witnessed the event claims he tried to enter the apartment, even after the glass was broken. After he broke the window and woke up the resident, he realized someone was home.

I find strange all those who come on here trying to silence discussion of what happened (not you or zichi), many of them claim to know him or have worked with him, but nobody has yet mentioned that Alex was assigned to Navy Information Operations Command at Fleet Activities Yokosuka (they "provide Cryptologic and Information Operations Augmentation, Maintenance, Signals Analysis, Administrative, Supply and Training support".)

I was first sent a link to this newspaper via facebook. I guess many of the people who commented negatively, about me coming onto this site so early, forget how fast news travels there. There has been so much speculation. One of the many things I do know about my son, is that he would never break into someone else's residence on purpose. If he (in fact) accidentally did, he would have been extremely apologetic. I've recently heard (a rumor?) that the 6th floor resident is a 70 yr. old gentleman, alone. So, I can understand him being frightened. I've been keeping an eye on this article to see if anyone could make any sense of what happened to my son. @Bluescript, you copied or stated (sorry, not sure which) "Not one who witnessed the event claims he tried to enter the apartment, even after the glass was broken..." Do you know, for a fact that there were witnesses or was that copied from another source. I really would like to know. I want, no, NEED to know everything. Whether it's good or bad. Please, if it's one little item that could bring me closer to understanding, i need to know. If you ever had the pleasure of meeting Alex, you would understand. His smile lit any room, anywhere....& when you look up, you see his beautiful eyes smiling just as wide. My heart will never forget this most horrible pain. I do know that the investigation is still ongoing. And was recently informed that this specific residence tries to accommodate people with quick turnover....as soon as there's a vacancy, they clean and pack everything, so they're able to give a home to new people. Alex loved living there, he loved the beauty all around the building and all around Japan. It seems like a great place to live.

@yubaru, YuriOtani, Crazedinjapan, ADK99, BurakuminDes, Bass4funk, USNinJapan2, toshiko, FightingViking, JeanValJean, zichi, yabits, Cornelius D Jones, ChibaChik, STC, IC2 Elliot, Murakame Kenji, Davinyoko, Tom DeMicke, bruinfan, Sato Tatsuhiro, Kim S Mao, thank you for your kind words of sympathy & condolences.

@Aaron Brindley, Candy Franklin, Michael Sheldon, TommyBrenda Davis, Christopher Coday, Stephanie LaToska Siemens, James Messer, thank you for being a good friend to my son, Alex. He considered all his shipmates to be his brothers and sisters forever. @ Sean Davidson, I only got glimpses of him becoming a man. He became a man on your watch. Each & every time he came home, he was stronger and more confident. You hardened him into a secure, stable-minded, focused person. And on the inside he was still considerate & caring....everything a good man should be. Thank you for being such a strong influence & leader for my son, Alex.

@Rodney Wood, my wonderful brother-in-law, thank you for your beautiful touching words. You always know the right thing to say <3 @SamanthaAnn, (one of my many cousins) You have such a beautiful heart. Don't let people who spew their ugly opinions get under your skin. It's not worth it. None of them will ever have a person like Alex in their lives. It's sad for them. You just smile & keep your head up baby <3

@Nicholas Gianacakos, he loved your son as if they were twins. From the simple mischief to the hard work, if they could lean on each other every day, I think they would have fused together as one. He spoke so highly of you, your wife and family. I cannot thank you enough for taking care of him while he was stationed in San Diego. He truly loved you all.

@Bluescript, you copied or stated (sorry, not sure which) "Not one who witnessed the event claims he tried to enter the apartment, even after the glass was broken..." Do you know, for a fact that there were witnesses or was that copied from another source. I really would like to know. I want, no, NEED to know everything. Whether it's good or bad. Please, if it's one little item that could bring me closer to understanding, i need to know.

I copied that from yabits' post. I don't know where he/she got that info. Another mention of witnesses seeing Alex on the balcony is the Stars and Stripes article. It does have a little more info:

http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/yokosuka-sailor-dies-after-fall-from-balcony-1.223280

A Japanese police spokesman said one of Spadea’s neighbors called police to report seeing him standing on their balcony earlier in the evening.

When police arrived, Spadea allegedly broke a window and disappeared. At the same time, a third-floor resident called the police to report seeing a person fall, the spokesman said.

And finally, Kathy Spadea, I am deeply sorry for your loss.

And finally, Kathy Spadea, I am deeply sorry for your loss.

Perhaps, you might then consider apologizing for continuing to suggest that her son was trying to break into the sixth floor apartment when no witnesses or evidence point to this at all at this point.

That won't be necessary.

To those of you saying Alex was most likely breaking into apartment.. You people have no clue what kind if man Alex was... I knew him I know his family.. Kathy I'm so sorry about Alex I was such a great kid..and we were all proud when he joined the Navy.. Matthew is stationed in Japan now and don't know what I would do if something happened to him.. I just found out about this from Mic.... So very sorry for your loss .. I will keep you all in my prayers..