Family launches GoFundMe to bury former Jamaican jockey who died after punch
Published:Tuesday | March 26, 2024 | 12:08 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
The family of former Jamaican jockey Carlyle Thomas, who died after being punched by a tow truck driver during an altercation, has launched a GoFundMe to raise US$12,000 to assist with funeral and other expenses.
So far the fund has raised just over US$1,100.
Valerie Simmons, Thomas’s daughter, told The Gleaner that the family is struggling with the loss of her father.
“I used to enjoy myself with my dad. I am just trying to preserve myself,” she said.
Simmons added that the family was grateful to the community that has been mourning her father, pointing out that he left an impact on everyone, far and near.
Thomas, who was born in Kingston, was a jockey at Caymanas Park before migrating to the United States in 1994.
The 61-year-old died after being punched, falling and hitting his head during the altercation with the tow truck driver in Brooklyn.
According to reports, Thomas usually parked his motor vehicle at a gas station on Clarkson Avenue near Rockaway, for a fee of $10.
However, around 8:45 p.m. on March 16, someone at the gas station called a tow truck to remove Thomas’ vehicle.
According to police reports, Thomas, finding out that his vehicle was being towed, attempted to stop the removal.
During the ensuing altercation, the tow truck driver, 30-year-old Kevon Johnson, who has since been arrested for assault, punched Thomas in the face. He fell and, on being rushed to hospital, was pronounced dead.
Thomas’s death has sparked outrage in the community.
Simmons has called for the gas station to be shut down.
“If lives are being lost over $10, why should they make money here,” she asked, according to news reports.
Germaine Thomas, the ex-jockey’s son, told a television station that he just wanted his father back.
Thomas was a father, grandfather and well-known community member.
See GoFundMe here.