A dispute over vehicle keys ended with John Ryan Joyce fatally injured outside his home, police say.
ROCKFORD, Mich. — A fatal confrontation that began with a dispute over car keys has left a Rockford family mourning John Ryan Joyce and a 49-year-old man facing a second-degree murder charge in Kent County.
Thomas Patrick Olman is accused of intentionally driving a pickup into Joyce on Dec. 11 near Joyce’s home, then getting out and assaulting him in a driveway. Joyce survived for nearly three months but died March 4, after doctors and the medical examiner linked fatal blood clots to the injuries from the crash.
The case unfolded in a residential area near Gibraltar Drive and Glencarin Drive, where Joyce still co-owned a home with his estranged wife during their divorce. Police said Joyce had learned that his wife was seeing Olman and had gone earlier to Olman’s home, where he found her vehicle. The car was unlocked, and Joyce told investigators he searched it for a credit card that was supposed to be turned over as part of the divorce settlement. He did not find the card, police said, but he took the vehicle keys. That decision brought Olman and Joyce’s estranged wife to Joyce’s home later the same day.
Joyce’s wife went to the house seeking the keys, according to the affidavit. Joyce told investigators he said she did not need them because Olman could drive her where she needed to go. He also knew Olman was parked down the street, police said. Joyce then walked outside, intending to hand the keys to Olman himself. The encounter moved from a domestic dispute at the door to a confrontation in the road. Joyce later told officers he heard the truck’s engine rev as he approached. He said the pickup suddenly sped toward him, leaving him little time to move out of its path.
Police said the impact was not the end of the encounter. Joyce told investigators he remembered being hit, flying and spinning through the air before landing in a nearby driveway. After that, he said, Olman got out of the pickup, yelled, “Why are you coming after me?” and struck him again. Investigators said Joyce reported being punched in the face and kicked after he was already hurt. When officers arrived, they found Joyce lying in the driveway, Joyce’s estranged wife nearby and Olman still at the scene. A police affidavit said the woman appeared to be watching and not helping, though reports do not show that she was charged.
The physical evidence around the neighborhood became part of the official account. Investigators said tracks in the snow showed the truck’s path before it hit Joyce. Police also documented damage to the pickup’s passenger-side headlight and hood and a broken mailbox near the impact area. A doorbell camera captured audio of the crash, according to local reports. The most direct evidence described in the affidavit was dashcam video from Olman’s truck. Police said the video showed Joyce entering the roadway, the truck accelerating quickly and the truck veering toward Joyce as he tried to jump toward the yard.
Olman gave police a different explanation. He said he accelerated out of his parking spot because he was trying to get away, not because he was trying to hit Joyce. He also said Joyce jumped in front of the truck. Investigators said the dashcam footage and other evidence appeared to contradict that claim. Joyce told officers before his death that Olman had revved the engine and swerved at him. The statement became part of the case file because Joyce survived long enough to describe what he said happened. Police have not released the full dashcam video publicly in the reports reviewed.
The injuries Joyce suffered were severe. He was taken to a hospital with a fractured pelvis, fractured ribs and spinal damage. He remained hospitalized for months, while the criminal case initially proceeded as an assault case. After Joyce died March 4, the Kent County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide. The office concluded he died from bilateral pulmonary emboli and deep vein thrombosis, medical complications that stemmed from the crash injuries. Prosecutors then upgraded the charge against Olman to second-degree murder. If convicted, he could face life in prison under Michigan law.
For Joyce’s family, the legal case is tied to the loss of a man they said was known by his middle name, Ryan. Relatives described him as a father of two daughters and someone who treasured his relationships and friendships. His sister, Kelli Gunn, said the dashcam recording has been painful and important for the family. “He was gunning it,” Gunn said of Olman’s truck. She said the fact that the encounter was captured from inside the vehicle left relatives wondering why it was recorded at all. Police have not publicly assigned a motive for the dashcam recording beyond its role as evidence.
The court process now turns on whether prosecutors can prove the truck was used intentionally and whether the crash and later assault caused the medical chain that ended with Joyce’s death. Olman was arrested at the scene in December and later arraigned on the upgraded murder charge after Joyce’s death. A judge set his bond at $250,000.
Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.