Thomas Vayianos (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)
A 35-year-old man in Florida is accused of drunkenly running down and killing a cyclist in broad daylight, hitting the victim so hard that authorities said the bicycle was “embedded” in the front of his car. Thomas Vayianos was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with driving under the influence-manslaughter with a vehicle causing death to a human in the death of Felipe Soares de Moraes, court documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded at about 7:42 a.m. on Dec. 16 to a “fatality crash” in the 1400 block of North Ocean Boulevard and Highway A1A in Boca Raton, which is about 45 miles north of Miami.
Upon arriving, first responders said they found Soares de Moraes laying face down on the shoulder of the highway. The vehicle allegedly involved in the accident, a gray Chevy Equinox, was parked on the shoulder of the highway “with a bicycle embedded within the front bumper.” The driver, identified as Vayianos, a New Jersey resident, remained at the scene and was sitting at the rear of the car.
A witness at the scene told investigators he was riding his bike at around 7:09 a.m. in the marked bicycle lane of the highway when the gray Equinox drove by him “so closely he could touch the vehicle.”
“As the vehicle passed, [the witness] observed the vehicle swerving within its lane entering the marked bicycle lane multiple times,” the affidavit states. “[The witness] could see [the victim] on his bicycle up ahead of him. [The witness] watched as the Equinox struck [the victim], sending him airborne where he came to final rest within the shoulder of A1A. [The witness] arrived on the scene shortly, thereafter, called 911, and watched as Thomas [Vayianos] exited the Equinox and stood outside the driver’s door.”
Investigators say they determined that Vayianos hit the victim from behind, resulting in Soares de Moraes “being thrown 65 feet and rolling/tumbling an additional 71 feet where he came to a final rest.”
When investigators spoke to Vayianos at the scene, he allegedly provided a series of bizarre responses to their questions and “seemed to be under the impression that the other officers on the scene including myself were ‘hotel people,’” the affiant wrote in the affidavit.
Police described Vayianos as having “pinpoint pupils,” saying he “would look through” officers trying to speak with him and was unable to stand steadily without leaning on his car.
Vayianos allegedly had to be asked basic questions multiple times because he either failed to answer the questions or would “go off-topic” on seemingly unrelated matters. Vayianos appeared to believe he was still at “the hotel” and was unaware he had just struck a cyclist.
“In speaking with [Vayianos], it became apparent that he had no clue he had struck anyone,” the affidavit states. “When I asked again if he remembered the crash, [Vayianos] began to explain an incident that occurred in Vermont where he ‘tapped someone.’”
After being read his Miranda rights, Vayianos allegedly explained that he had taken multiple controlled substances “last night after midnight” and was under the impression that it was 10:30 a.m., which was the time he was supposed to check out of his hotel.
Vayianos then failed multiple field sobriety tests before being taken into custody and transported to Palm Beach County Jail, police said. He is currently being held on $150,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 14, 2025.
