Police said a black truck struck 9-year-old Therman Wallace Jr. and drove away Friday evening.
ROCHESTER, Pa. — A Monaca man has been charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI after police said his truck struck and killed 9-year-old Therman Wallace Jr. as the boy rode a bicycle Friday evening in Beaver County.
Thomas Earl Cole, 53, is accused of driving away after the crash in Rochester, a small borough northwest of Pittsburgh. Court records and police accounts say Cole faces counts including homicide by vehicle while DUI, accidents involving death or personal injury and DUI. He was jailed without bond after his arraignment Saturday.
The crash happened shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, April 24, in the area of Pennsylvania Avenue and Lacock Street. Police and emergency crews were called for a report of a child struck by a vehicle. First responders tried life-saving measures, but medics pronounced Therman dead at the scene. Investigators said video showed a black truck turning and hitting the boy on his bicycle, then leaving without stopping. Authorities later linked the truck to Cole and found him at his home. The Rochester Borough Police Department said in a public statement that it extended its deepest sympathies to Therman’s family and friends after what the department called a “horrific tragedy.”
Police said officers smelled alcohol on Cole’s breath when they spoke with him. According to the criminal complaint, Cole first denied being on the road that day, then asked an officer, “How can I get a DUI if I have been drinking at my house all day?” Investigators said Cole later told police he had been driving in the area because a road closure forced him to find another way home. He said he felt a bump while making a turn, looked back and believed he had struck a pile of rocks. Police said blood draw results were still pending after the arrest. The complaint also says Cole requested an attorney during the police contact.
Therman was a third-grade student in the Rochester Area School District. School officials and neighbors gathered Monday outside the elementary school, where children wrote chalk messages and drew hearts and crosses for their classmate. Rochester Elementary School Principal Rachael Cipolla called the death an “unimaginable loss” in a message to families. She said Rochester was a school community and “we all feel that loss together.” The district said support services would be available for students and staff. A remembrance was held Monday evening at the school, drawing families, classmates and neighbors who knew the boy from the neighborhood.
Neighbors described the crash area as a place where children often ride bicycles and pass through on foot. Elizabeth Johnson, who said she takes her daughter to a nearby dance school, said the area had become busier because of a road closure on Adams Street. She said drivers had been using nearby streets as a cut-through and often traveled too fast. “You have to know there’s a child there,” Johnson said. A neighbor also said a new 10 mph speed limit sign was installed on Lacock Street after the crash. The investigation has focused on the truck, the video, Cole’s statements and the pending blood test results.
A fundraiser organized by Veronica Weideman, identified as Therman’s aunt, described him as a “bright, loving child” whose death left the family heartbroken. The fundraiser said the money would help cover funeral arrangements and other immediate expenses. By Wednesday, it had raised more than $38,000 toward a $55,000 goal. Obituary information listed Therman W. Wallace Jr. as a Rochester resident formerly of Arkansas. He was born June 15, 2016, in Magnolia, Arkansas, and died April 24, 2026. Family notices said he enjoyed Minecraft, Roblox, UNO, fishing and riding bikes and four-wheelers with his brothers and friends.
Cole’s next court date is a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 7. At that hearing, prosecutors are expected to present enough evidence to show whether the case should move forward in Beaver County court. The charges remain accusations, and court proceedings will determine how the case advances. As of Wednesday, Cole was being held in the Beaver County Jail without bond. Funeral services for Therman are scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rochester, according to public obituary information.
Author note: Last updated April 29, 2026.