Man charged after Good Samaritan hit, killed while helping driver on Big Mac Bridge
By Giacomo Luca
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NEWPORT, Kentucky (WLWT) — A Campbell County Grand Jury has indicted John K. Ray on reckless homicide in connection with crash that killed a man who was assisting a stranded driver on the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge last year.
The indictment comes more than a year after his alleged involvement in an early morning crash that killed Antonio Conrad, 36, and seriously injured the man’s fiancée.
Newport Police say Conrad had gotten out of his vehicle on the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge early in the morning on July 13, 2025 to help a stranded driver after their vehicle broke down.
While helping push the broke-down vehicle, another driver crashed into the back of Conrad’s stopped car, pinning him between the vehicles and killing him. Newport Police said the driver stayed on scene following the crash.
Conrad’s hazard lights were on and the driver should have been able to avoid the crash, said Sienna Thompson, the victim’s aunt. His mother Silver Conrad says the past year has been filled with grief, but the indictment is giving their family a step toward closure.
“I often wonder how come he wasn’t arrested previous to this,” Silver Conrad said.
Conrad’s family say he was a father of six and a grandfather. They described him as a person with a big heart who would always stop to help someone in need.
WLWT “He didn’t care what he was doing or if he had to be somewhere at a certain time,” Silver Conrad said. “If he saw somebody in need, he was going out. That was just him. His whole goal was, I just want to help people.”
Anieya Phillips, the eldest daughter of Antonio Conrad, says her mother was in the passenger seat of her father’s car and was also seriously injured. The woman is still recovering from her injuries after multiple surgeries and physical therapy.
Conrad’s mother says family members plan to attend the arraignment on Tuesday. She says the indictment is a step forward for their family after this tremendous loss.
“I feel like this is the beginning of some sort of closure for me, for us,” Silver Conrad said.
Ray is set to be arraigned in Campbell County Court on Tuesday at 11 a.m.
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