It was just after 3 a.m. on May 23, 2026, along a dimly lit stretch of West Broad Street near the Willow Lawn area in Henrico County, Virginia. The road sat mostly empty under the glow of streetlights. Hours later, flashing police lights cut through the early morning darkness near a construction site. Investigators discovered the body of 16-year-old Joshua Driver in a grassy roadside shoulder.
Joshua, a sophomore at J.R. Tucker High School, had been out with his older brother that Friday night. The pair rode GRTC buses, grabbed food and drinks at Arby’s, and enjoyed time together in the Willow Lawn area. They missed the last bus home. His brother made it back safely, but Joshua started walking.
Authorities say Joshua was autistic and had developmental disabilities. He was outgoing and loved riding buses across the Richmond region. Bus drivers knew him well he would chat with them and make friends easily. One driver had given him a reflective safety vest for nighttime visibility. That night, the vest was in the wash.
A tweet from X.
The police report claims that Bruehl, 41, struck Joshua and ran from the scene. Bruehl was apprehended that day on charges of DUI and hit and run. Bruehl does not have any bond at the moment and has an outstanding warrant against him. He allegedly has two DUI cases.
Joshua’s mother, Sharon Driver, shared her heartbreak in interviews with local stations.
“This man just hit him and ran away. How can he do that to my son? I feel like he has no heart,”
She said. She described the pain of uncertainty:
“I don’t know if he suffered or if he died instantly.”
Fighting tears, she added,
“He didn’t even grow up. He didn’t become an adult.”
Sharon also spoke about her son’s love for buses and how DUI crashes affect families.
“It hurts people, it kills people. It killed my son.”
The story spread quickly on social media. A ~47-second news compilation posted by @unlimited_ls on May 25 gained thousands of views. It featured mugshots of Bruehl, B-roll of the West Broad Street scene, a photo of Joshua holding a stuffed animal in a graphic t-shirt, and his mother’s emotional words, including the headline
“MY SON DIDN’T EVEN GROW UP.”
The death of Joshua Driver has brought back into discussion the issues of drunk driving, hit and run, and safety on the roads for pedestrians, especially the vulnerable late at night. A country that loses many lives each year due to drunk driving comes face to face with the reality of the price paid when the driver decides to flee.
For now, the pain of a family over the loss of their son who just wanted to go home persists. The jovial nature and simplicity of Joshua will be missed by many people.
