Tow Truck Driver Stole From Woman Who Died In Crash: Police

DETROIT, MI — A 31-year-old Belleville man who works for a local tow yard is facing felony charges for allegedly stealing the bank information of a woman who died following a crash he towed away in 2017. This week Joel Leys was charged with two counts of illegal use of a credit card for reportedly using a bank card found in the car wreck that killed a young woman from Pennsylvania on May 13, 2017.

The accident happened in Romulus and left the woman in a coma for five days before dying. The family of the woman contacted Michigan State Police after her death to report that someone was using her bank accounts for unauthorized purchases. An officer investigated by tracking one of the purchases to a pizza shop, which was near the tow yard. Police found that the pizza was delivered to the address of the Leys, who removed the victim’s vehicle after the crash.

Police were able to obtain a search warrants for car insurance information, phone records, and ticket info from Michigan International Speedway (MIS). The car insurance, which was paid for with the victim’s bank card, was in the tow truck driver's name as were the MIS tickets, police said. The phone number used to make the pizza order also came back to Leys, according to authorities.

Police say he took the woman’s bank card out of her purse after the crash.

Image courtesy Michigan State Police

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