A former news videographer from New Jersey has been charged with DUI manslaughter following a fatal collision that claimed the life of a bicyclist in Boca Raton. Thomas Vayianos, 35, of Brick, New Jersey, struck Felipe Soares de Moraes early Sunday morning on Ocean Boulevard. The incident took place in a vicinity popular but regarded as perilous for cyclists due to the road's narrowness and traffic volume, according to BocaNewsNow.com.
Vayianos, whose experience includes working for a cable news operation in New Jersey and providing communication support for several ski resorts, had recently relocated to Boca Raton for a job in search engine optimization. His social media profiles denote him as a "specialist" in the field, caught after his vehicle allegedly slammed into de Moraes around 7 a.m., leaving him dead at the scene as reported by the same outlet. The Palm Beach County Jail has since taken custody of Vayianos, who was found with his Chevy Equinox, the bicycle "embedded" in its front bumper shortly after the crash.
The crash's details became clearer when an arrest report revealed that another bicyclist described a close encounter with the Equinox, saying the SUV passed "so closely he could touch the vehicle" before swerving to strike de Moraes ahead. De Moraes was flung from his bike due to the impact and was pronounced dead at the site, according to WPTV. Vayianos expressed confusion over the incident, telling the responding officer he "had no idea he struck a bicyclist" and later divagated about unrelated events.
The arresting officer observed that Vayianos showed signs of impairment, including pinpoint pupils, an unsteady stance, and difficulty following the conversation. "I'm worried about the Hotel people," Vayianos said repeatedly, referencing "the hotel" and "hotel people," motions seemingly unrelated to the tragic event that lay a few feet from him. Vayianos admitted to being in rehab and taking a combination of Adderall, Vyvanse, and Gabapentin, medications for ADHD and anti-seizure, respectively, having last consumed them "last night after midnight," according to the report filed by the police and mentioned by WPTV. Following several failed field sobriety tests, authorities took him into custody, confronting the gravity of a life abruptly ended and questions over the choices that led to such a moment.
Boca Raton police have since charged Vayianos with "DUI manslaughter with a vehicle causing death to a human." Details on the case continue to emerge as the community reels from the loss of de Moraes, with people turning to social media, including Instagram, to express their sorrow and seek updates on a tragedy that has undoubtedly shaken the local Boca Raton area.
