More than three years after a hit-and-run driver struck and killed 16-year-old Billy McWilliams on his bike in Northeast Philadelphia, federal marshals have arrested the man accused of driving away that night. Robert Reynolds, 22, was taken into custody on Thursday at an apartment on the 9200 block of Blue Grass Road, roughly five miles from where McWilliams died in July 2023.
The Tampa Free Press reported that deputy U.S. marshals and Philadelphia police investigators spent more than three years pursuing leads before locating Reynolds this week. He now faces charges of vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, driving without a license, and unauthorized use of an automobile in connection with the July 2023 crash that killed McWilliams.
The crash happened at roughly 4:14 a.m. on July 28, 2023, along the 3300 block of Woodhaven Road near Byberry Road, where McWilliams was thrown 200 feet upon impact, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. He was rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after. McWilliams lived on the 1300 block of Wales Place and worked shifts at his family's sign-manufacturing business, Allied Sign Systems; he was riding his bike to see his girlfriend when he was struck, the Inquirer reported.
A Cold Trail That Ran for Years
Days after the crash, Philadelphia police located the suspected vehicle — a stolen black Dodge Charger — abandoned near Brous and Princeton Avenues, but investigators could not identify the driver at the time, according to the same Inquirer report. Detectives spent years afterward analyzing forensic and video evidence tied to the vehicle, per a report from FOX 29 Philadelphia. An arrest warrant charging Reynolds with vehicular homicide was formally issued on October 9, and federal marshals apprehended him six days later, the station reported.
The arrest was carried out through a joint effort between the U.S. Marshals Service and the Philadelphia Police Department's Crash Investigation Unit, per the Tampa Free Press report. Robert Clark, supervisory deputy of the U.S. Marshals Service, said the crash unit's detectives deserved credit for their dedication and persistence in the investigation. Clark said the Marshals Service was proud to support its police partners and help bring the case before the judicial system, and added that the agency's thoughts remained with McWilliams' family as they cope with the loss. The arrest was made by the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force, which focuses on locating violent crime suspects across Philadelphia and neighboring counties. Reynolds remains in custody pending formal court proceedings.
A Family's Long Wait, and a Vandalized Memorial
The years-long gap between the crash and the arrest weighed heavily on McWilliams' family and friends, who maintained a roadside memorial near Woodhaven and Byberry roads. In December 2025, security video captured an unidentified vehicle driving over and destroying that memorial, according to CBS News Philadelphia. The incident occurred just days after relatives had gathered at the site to mark what would have been McWilliams' birthday, the station reported.
Under Pennsylvania law, homicide by vehicle is classified as a third-degree felony carrying a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison and fines up to $15,000, according to Fienman Defense. A conviction also triggers an automatic three-year driver's license suspension in the state.
Part of a Larger Pattern on Philadelphia Streets
McWilliams was the seventh bicyclist killed in Philadelphia in 2023 and the fifth fatal hit-and-run victim on a bike that year, according to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, which tracked 62 total traffic deaths citywide through late July of that year. The coalition also noted that the stretch of Woodhaven Road where McWilliams was struck lacked protected bicycle infrastructure, while its proximity to expressway ramps encouraged higher vehicle speeds.
Citywide, Philadelphia recorded 126 total traffic fatalities in 2023, with hit-and-run incidents accounting for 43 of those deaths, the coalition's data showed. A July report from the Office of the Philadelphia City Controller found the city's 2024 traffic fatality rate of 9.04 deaths per 100,000 residents outpaced Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York City, though the rate has declined from above 10.0 per 100,000 in 2020.
