Tampa, FL – A devastating chain-reaction crash on Interstate 75 north of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard claimed the life of a 27-year-old Ocala man early this morning, April 9, 2025. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) has arrested 23-year-old Noah Alexander Riley of Campbellsville, Kentucky, in connection with the incident after he fled the scene.
The sequence of events began when a tractor-trailer, driven by a 25-year-old Gainesville man, became disabled and pulled onto the outside shoulder of northbound I-75. The driver’s brother, operating a Hyundai Sonata, stopped ahead of the tractor-trailer to offer assistance. As the 27-year-old Ocala man exited his vehicle to help, tragedy struck.
Authorities say Riley, driving a Ford F-350 towing a cattle trailer, was traveling northbound when he veered onto the shoulder. The F-350 first slammed into the driver’s side of the disabled tractor-trailer before striking the Ocala man who was standing outside his vehicle. The F-350 then continued forward, colliding with the Hyundai Sonata. The 27-year-old victim sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the collisions, Riley fled in his vehicle, driving to a Gate gas station at the intersection of State Road 56 and Cypress Ridge Boulevard. An FHP trooper tracked him down at the gas station, where he was found changing a tire. Riley was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving a death and was transported to Hillsborough County Jail.
The identity of the deceased has not been released pending notification of next of kin. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to determine the factors that led to the deadly crash. Further charges may be pending as the case develops.
