Police say dashcam video shows a pickup accelerating toward a man who later died from his injuries.

ROCKFORD, Mich. — A 49-year-old Rockford man has been charged with second-degree murder after police said he intentionally struck his girlfriend’s estranged husband with a pickup in December and then assaulted him in a driveway.

The charge against Thomas Patrick Olman was filed after John Ryan Joyce, 49, died March 4 from complications tied to the crash. The case moved from an assault investigation to a homicide case after the Kent County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Joyce’s death a homicide and linked it to injuries suffered outside a Rockford home.

The confrontation happened Dec. 11 near Gibraltar Drive and Glencarin Drive, a residential area in Rockford, about 150 miles northwest of Detroit. Police said Joyce still co-owned a home there with his estranged wife, who was dating Olman during the divorce. Officers were called for a report that a man had been hit by a vehicle. When they arrived, they found Joyce on the ground in a driveway, his estranged wife nearby and Olman standing on the sidewalk. A police affidavit said Joyce was able to speak after the crash and told officers the driver had been revving the engine and had swerved toward him.

Investigators said the truck’s dashcam became a central piece of evidence. According to police records cited in local reports, the video showed Joyce entering the roadway and walking toward the front of the truck before the vehicle accelerated. Police said the truck then veered right as Joyce tried to jump toward the yard and away from the front of the pickup. Olman told detectives he was trying to drive around Joyce and get away from him, but police said the video, witness accounts and physical evidence did not support that version. Damage to the truck’s passenger-side headlight and hood, a broken mailbox and tracks in the snow also helped investigators trace the path of the vehicle.

The dispute began earlier that day at Olman’s home, police said. Joyce told investigators he went there because his estranged wife was supposed to turn over a credit card connected to their divorce settlement. He found her vehicle outside Olman’s home, discovered it unlocked and searched for the card, according to the affidavit. Joyce told police he did not find the card, but he took the keys from the vehicle. Later, Olman and Joyce’s estranged wife drove to Joyce’s home so she could retrieve the keys. Police said the argument shifted from the house to the street when Joyce went outside, knowing Olman was parked nearby.

Joyce told detectives that his wife had come to the house demanding the keys and that he said she did not need them because Olman could drive her to work the next day. He said he decided to give the keys directly to Olman. As Joyce approached the pickup, he heard the engine rev and saw the truck speed up toward him, according to police records. Joyce told investigators the vehicle closed the distance so quickly that he believed Olman had floored the accelerator. He later described being hit, flying through the air and landing in a nearby driveway. Police said a doorbell camera captured audio of the impact.

After the pickup struck Joyce, police said, Olman got out and continued the attack. Joyce told investigators that Olman yelled, “Why are you coming after me?” before punching him in the face and kicking him while he was injured on the ground. The affidavit said officers found Joyce lying in the driveway and that his estranged wife appeared to be watching and not helping. Police have not said whether she faces any charge. The public record reviewed in the reports does not identify her as a defendant, and her role beyond the events described in the affidavit remains limited to witness and relationship context.

Joyce was taken to a hospital with a fractured pelvis, fractured ribs and spinal injuries. He remained hospitalized for months. After his death, the medical examiner found that he died from bilateral pulmonary emboli and deep vein thrombosis, conditions described as complications from the injuries caused by the collision. Prosecutors then upgraded the case. Olman initially faced an assault charge, but the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office authorized second-degree murder after the death ruling. In Michigan, a second-degree murder conviction can carry up to life in prison. Olman has not been convicted, and the charge remains an accusation.

The case also carries a family loss beyond the court record. Joyce, who went by Ryan, was remembered by relatives as a father of two daughters and a man who valued his family ties and friendships. His sister, Kelli Gunn, said the dashcam stood out to relatives because it recorded the encounter from Olman’s truck. “He was gunning it,” Gunn said in a local television interview. She said the fact that the camera was on raised questions for the family about why the confrontation was being recorded. Police have not said in public reports whether they believe the dashcam was turned on for that purpose.

Olman was arrested at the scene after the December confrontation and later arraigned on the upgraded murder charge. A judge set bond at $250,000, according to court records cited in reports. The next public milestone will be the continued court process in Kent County, where prosecutors will rely on video, witness statements, medical findings and physical evidence from the street.

Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.