Tampa man arrested in hit and run crash on Busch that killed pedestrian

A Tampa man who told police he was on drugs when he struck and killed a pedestrian and drove away is in custody.

Vincent Thomas Oliver, 34, faces multiple charges, including DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crash with a death, driving without a license and resisting an officer without violence.

The crash occurred at 11:40 p.m. on Thursday, just hours before a second fatal hit and run crash killed a moped driver a few blocks away.

Oliver was driving a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta east on Busch Boulevard near North 50th Street when he struck Zachary Oneal, 23, who was trying to cross outside of the crosswalk, according to a news release from the Tampa Police Department.

Misty Johannes, his aunt, said Oneal had been crossing the street to get something to eat when he was hit.

Oneal was talking on the phone with his fiancee at the time of the crash, Johannes said. The couple have a 6-month-old baby and were going to be married in October.

“You can imagine what she’s going through,” she said.

Oneal had only been in Florida for a few weeks. He was training to repair cell towers and had planned to fly home to Oklahoma on Saturday.

“He had such a bright future and big plans,” his aunt said.

The family’s first priority will be to transport Oneal’s body home, Johannes said.

“He was a good kid — liked to ride four wheelers, to go fishing with his uncle,” she said. “He was just a good, quiet kid. Never did anything to harm anybody, would help anybody with anything.”

Police said Oliver fled the scene after the crash, stopped the car near a convenience store and continued to evade authorities on foot.

Using K-9 units and aerial support, police found Oliver hiding underneath a nearby vehicle about a mile away from the crash. He was arrested and taken to a local hospital.

Oliver told officers “he had ingested narcotics and was exhibiting erratic behavior,” the release states.

After he was discharged from the hospital, Oliver was booked at Orient Road Jail. Records show he is being held without bond.