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Connor Blais, a 28-year-old bartender at O’Shea’s Irish Pub in downtown West Palm Beach, was killed early Monday morning while riding his electric scooter home from work. A driver struck him and fled, and police are now asking the public to help identify the vehicle.
Officers found Blais in the roadway in the 4900 block of South Olive Avenue, in the city’s Southend neighborhood off Lakewood Road, around 1:50 a.m. July 6, according to a West Palm Beach Police Department release. His scooter was nearby, and the driver left without stopping to render aid or report the crash.
Investigators believe the vehicle sustained damage to its front end or passenger side.
Screenshot via Instagram/@osheasirishpub_
A year and a half at O’Shea’s
Blais had worked at O’Shea’s for about a year and a half. His manager, Jake Stanton, told CBS12 that Blais was passionate about the job and talked to customers like they were family. Stanton said he saw Blais leave work that night, not long before the crash.
“I left here around midnight. I said, ‘Bye, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ and woke up this morning, and he’s not here,” Stanton said.
Blais’s mother, Janet, drove across the state to be with her son’s coworkers. She described him to WPBF 25 as an adventurous person who never met a stranger.
“We can’t bring him back. But we all loved him. And that’s what matters. He was loved,” she told the station.
Charlene Carlin, a regular at the pub, called the circumstances of his death heartbreaking. “The fact that he was hit and left at 2 in the morning, that’s the most disgusting thing,” she told WPBF 25.
O’Shea’s shared the family’s appeal on its Instagram account (@osheasirishpub_), posting a black-and-white photo of Blais in his staff polo above the words “Please help!” The post had drawn more than 14,000 likes by Tuesday morning. Commenters included visitors from out of town who said they stopped in to see Blais every time they came to West Palm Beach for concerts.
The search for the driver
Detectives are asking anyone in the Southend with security cameras along South Olive Avenue between Russlyn Drive and Pilgrim Road to check footage from 1:20 to 1:50 a.m. Monday.
Anyone with information or video can contact Detective Hatfield at 561-822-1784 and reference case No. 20260009954. Tipsters who want to remain anonymous can reach Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 1-800-458-TIPS.
O’Shea’s Irish Pub. 531 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; osheaspub.com.
