Grief in North Nashville is heading to the sidewalk this weekend, as friends and family of Mack Tyrone Cosby swap candles and casseroles for trash bags and work gloves. Cosby was fatally struck in a hit-and-run on Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Boulevard last October, and those who loved him are marking the loss with a series of community cleanups they say will both honor his name and push the city for an honorary street sign. Volunteers are set to gather Saturday around 11 a.m. at the Titans Deli Market, with organizers providing bags and gloves.
The crash and the investigation
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, the collision happened Oct. 8, 2025, when a dark-colored SUV hit Cosby as he walked on the east side of Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Boulevard near Osage Street at about 10:35 p.m. Police say the vehicle continued north and did not stop. Cosby was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and later died. No arrests have been announced, and investigators are still asking anyone with information about the driver to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
Neighbors sign up to Adopt-A-Street
Cosby’s childhood friend Chuck Mosley has signed on to keep the area in the spotlight. He told NewsChannel 5 that he registered the block through the city’s Adopt-A-Street program and plans recurring cleanups along the corridor while police continue their search for the driver. The Adopt-A-Street program requires groups to take responsibility for at least four blocks and hold cleanups at least four times a year, with the city providing safety gear and recognition signage, according to the program page. Organizers say their steady presence will serve both as a memorial and as quiet pressure to keep attention on an unsolved fatal crash.
Mosley’s push for a sign
"He’s going to let us pick up that area four or five times, and then they’re going to put a street sign in honor of Mack right there," Mosley said, according to NewsChannel 5. The first cleanup is scheduled for Saturday at about 11 a.m. at the Titans Deli Market, with organizers planning to supply bags and gloves. They note the start time could shift if weather forces a change. Mosley and other longtime neighbors say they are determined to both tidy up the stretch and keep public eyes on a case that has left the family waiting for answers.
Family seeks answers, urges tips
Cosby’s relatives told WSMV that a life-altering incident left him with a mental-health condition, but family and neighbors stress that it did not define who he was. "When you leave, that's murder," a family member said as loved ones pleaded for leads and urged anyone with home-camera footage or other information to speak up. Police continue to investigate and are again pointing people to the Crime Stoppers tip line at 615-742-7463.
Why the cleanups matter
Neighbors say their volunteer work is about much more than trash pickup. The effort taps into a broader push to make Nashville’s streets safer for people on foot, with the city’s Vision Zero planning and community outreach framed as key pieces of that strategy. Public officials and safety advocates have pointed to Nashville’s Vision Zero process and related outreach as central to reducing traffic deaths, according to reporting and local materials from Vanderbilt University.
