Off-duty Massachusetts police officer accused in deadly hit-and-run crash after night of drinking

A Hanover, Massachusetts police officer has been placed on administrative leave after he allegedly hit and killed a man after a night of drinking, then drove off.

Alfredo Alves, 23, was found unresponsive in a snowbank in the area of Battles and Cross Streets in Brockton early Monday morning. He was rushed to Boston Medical Center but was pronounced dead.

Thomas Hayes, a 36-year-old who has been an officer for the Hanover Police Department since 2011, was arrested hours later.

Hanover police officer arrested

He was held on $15,000 cash bail and ordered not to drive a motor vehicle following his arraignment in Brockton District Court. Hayes pleaded not guilty to charges of leaving the scene of an accident following personal injury or death and motor vehicle homicide.

"First and foremost, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. Any loss of life is a profound tragedy, and our thoughts are with all those affected. We hold our officers to the highest standards of conduct, both on and off duty. Accountability and transparency are essential to maintaining the public's trust," Hanover police said in a statement. "The Hanover Police Department remains committed to serving our community with professionalism, integrity, and respect."

According to a Brockton police report, Hayes went to a Daytona 500 party with friends, then to the Boardroom Cabaret in Brockton, a strip club. Friends said the group was drinking throughout the day and evening hours.

A friend in the group whose wife owned the SUV involved in the crash told police he tried a Zyn nicotine pouch for the first time and became nauseous, so Hayes drove the vehicle home. The friend said that within minutes of leaving the Boardroom Cabaret, he believed Hayes hit something.

Throughout the drive, the friend told police that Hayes was driving aggressively. The witness said that he continuously asked Hayes to stop to assess the damage, but the off-duty police officer said that they would wait until they got home and he believed he had struck a snowbank.

Officer Thomas Hayes charged

When the group returned to Hayes' home, the friend told police he found significant damage to the SUV. Hayes allegedly told his friends that they would deal with the problem in the morning.

The friend returned to his home and told his wife what had happened to the SUV. She contacted the brother of the other man who had been out drinking the night before since he is a Massachusetts State Police trooper.

The off-duty trooper drove to the area where the crash had happened and saw a crime scene had been established. He drove the group, without Hayes, to the Brockton Police Department to speak to officers.

Around 7 a.m., Hayes was arrested at his home. Police said they noticed a strong odor of alcohol when they took him into custody. The heavily damaged SUV was still at Hayes' house.

According to prosecutors, surveillance video was recovered showing Hayes driving the Ford Explorer prior to the fatal collision.

Hayes is next due in court on March 31. 

"He should have stopped"

The victim's father spoke to WBZ-TV through translation from the 23-year-old's stepmother, Adenisa Alves. The victim's father is also named Alfredo Alves.

"He just said the pain he has now nothing can cover it. The person hit him and go. Even when he hit him he should have stopped. Save him, and he can be alive or in a coma whatever," Adenisa Alves said. "He was doing good things. [Hayes] just did what he would do to a rock or any animal and take off."

The victim's father said "no words can bring him back ... we are in pain."

"Nothing can take it. Nothing. This pain will never be the same. He could have saved him or stopped," Alfredo Alves said, through Adenisa.