Reward offered in July hit-and-run on I-70

Pamela Hayes-Cradle still cries every day thinking about her brother. Her siblings do, too.

Joseph Hayes, 40, of the North Side, was driving his 2001 HarleyDavidson motorcycle east on Interstate 70 near Alum Creek Drive about 11:30 p.m. July 25 when a Chevy Trailblazer improperly changed lanes, veered into Hayes’ lane and struck the motorcycle. The motorcycle was sent into the median wall, toppled over and slid down the roadway.

Hayes was thrown from the motorcycle, suffering a head injury.

A witness and the driver of the Trailblazer pulled over, but after the Trailblazer’s driver saw Hayes’ injuries, the driver got back into the vehicle and fled, police said.

The witness described the Trailblazer as blue with Indiana license plates. A black female with star tattoos Hayes on her right leg was driving, the witness told police.

Hayes-Cradle said a group chat with several of Hayes’ 17 siblings alerted her to the crash. She was living in Texas and was able to set up a video chat with a relative who was at the hospital.

“I got on a plane about 5:30 a.m.,” she said. “When I got here, he was still pretty bad.”

Hayes was hospitalized at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where he died July 27. He is survived by two daughters and 17 siblings, as well as his wife, Hayes-Cradle said.

“He was the youngest of us,” Hayes-Cradle said. “We all pitched in to raise him. We cry almost every day.”

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest or indictment of the other driver involved in the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 614-4618477 or submit tips through stopcrime.org or through the free P3 Tips mobile app.