Early Wednesday morning, 29-year-old Julius Tanksley was walking along the shoulder of County Road 200A in Ocala, Florida. He was near Northeast 110th Street around 8:05 a.m. when an oncoming vehicle drifted off the pavement and struck him. He died right there on the side of the road before help could arrive.
The sudden hit left friends and family struggling to understand how a normal morning walk turned into a tragedy. Tanksley was just going about his start to the day like anyone else. Those close to him were caught off guard when news of his death began to spread.
By late morning, social media posts started popping up as friends tried to process what happened. One tribute captured the shock felt by those who knew him best. “RIP Julius Tanksley… I’m sitting here thinking about all the times we had, bruh. This shit just can’t be real.”
Florida Highway Patrol officers reported that a silver Ford Explorer was heading northbound on County Road 200A. For reasons still under review, the vehicle crossed off the right edge of the paved road and moved directly onto the east shoulder.
The SUV hit Tanksley with its front right bumper. Instead of stopping, pulling over, or calling 911, the driver kept going down the road and disappeared. Emergency crews made it to the scene quickly, but Tanksley was already gone.
About sixty minutes after the crash, the same silver Ford Explorer pulled back up to the scene. The front end had visible damage consistent with striking a person. The driver stepped out and told troopers he was the one who hit Tanksley and drove off earlier.
Troopers identified the driver as 29-year-old Matthew Aaron Boardman of Anthony, Florida. They took him into custody right there at the scene. He was booked into the Marion County Jail on felony charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving death.
Tanksley was only 29 years old. People who grew up with him and shared good times with him are left holding onto old memories and conversations that now carry a heavy weight. The local community continues to support his family as state troopers work through their full crash investigation.
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