Anthony Farmer was struck and killed while crossing Cleveland Avenue in the North Linden neighborhood of Columbus late Monday night, police confirmed, leaving friends, family and neighbors shaken and demanding safer streets.
Farmer, whose warm laugh was remembered by those who knew him, was walking across Cleveland Avenue at Eddystone Avenue around 10:15 p.m. on Jan. 5 when a vehicle heading southbound hit him and then kept going, according to the Columbus Division of Police. Emergency responders pronounced him dead at the scene, before the city’s streets were quiet and cold with winter settling in.
Witnesses told officers they heard the screech and impact on the busy thoroughfare, but the driver did not stop. That act of fleeing deepened the community’s grief, turning what could have been a tragic accident into an anguished search for answers. Columbus police immediately urged anyone who saw the crash or the vehicle in the moments before or after it happened to come forward.
In a surprising turn, the “at‑fault driver” later walked into an attorney’s office and surrendered to police. Authorities interviewed the person through the Accident Investigation Unit, though the driver’s name has not been released and charges are still pending. Police continue to assess what led the driver to leave the scene and then give themselves up.
For residents of North Linden, this intersection has long been more than just another strip of pavement and traffic lights. Cleveland Avenue is one of the busiest traffic arteries in Columbus, and it has seen more pedestrian crashes than many other major corridors. Locals have pointed out for years that the street feels unsafe, with little protection for people trying to cross on foot.
City officials note that a safety campaign known as the Walk Safe on Cleveland Avenue initiative is underway to improve walking conditions. The plan aims to install enhanced crosswalks, better lighting and other features at key points along the avenue to slow vehicles and give foot traffic safer access to the other side. Yet at the crash site where Farmer died, there is no marked crosswalk — a gap that neighbors lamented bitterly in the days after the accident.
Memorials of flowers, candles and handwritten notes appeared near the spot where Farmer was killed as family and friends gathered to remember a life cut short. Those who knew him spoke of his kindness and the space he filled in their lives, urging passersby to slow down and look out for one another.
City leaders and police continue to investigate the crash. They are asking anyone with information to call Columbus police to help complete the picture of what happened that night and to ensure justice for Farmer’s loved ones. In the meantime, the neighborhood carries on — heavier, quieter, and more determined to make the streets safer for the next person on foot.
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