UPDATED@ November 7, 2013. Click here for details on arrest of Drew Blazure, information from Van Orden autopsy provided to public by police.
UPDATED@ 9:56pm Tuesday, August 27, with confirmation that driver is student at FAU.
UPDATED @ 1:43pm Tuesday, August 27, with information on driver.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — The bicyclist struck and killed by a motorist early Saturday had a lengthy court and criminal record, including three DUI convictions. Timothy Van Orden was in the midst of a ten year driver’s license suspension when he was struck around 2:35 am Saturday while he rode his bicycle on Federal Highway.
Court records confirm what tipsters told BocaNewsNow.com after we reported his death. Van Orden, 41, spent considerable time in the Palm Beach County Jail and was in and out of trouble with the law for more than a decade. Charges against him ranged from drug possession to battery. Many of the allegations were not prosecuted by the Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office, although the third DUI conviction landed him with a 30 day jail sentence and the ten year license suspension.
Van Orden was pronounced dead at the scene in the 6700 block of North Federal Highway.
Van Orden was allegedly struck by Drew Blazure, a former intern for U.S. Representative Leonard Lance (NJ 7th). Florid Atlantic University tells BocaNewsNow.com that he is in a doctorate program at the school.
It traditionally takes several months for the medical examiner to determine — and release — whether alcohol was a factor for either or both people involved in the accident. Traffic homicide investigations — if this is determined to be a “homicide” — traditionally take several months to a year in Palm Beach County.
The Boca Raton Police Department continues its accident investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call police.
Shame on this obviously very poor journalism and journalist going after the victim! I don’t know this poor VICTIM, but the individual who hit him should be fully prosecuted if he was under the influence and not be set free by his wealthy political family! Shame on all of you!
Seriously! There were at least 100 ppl at this man’s funeral. It ran over by an hour because so many people felt compelled to share how this passionate man touces their lives in such positive ways. I expected the follow up article to maybe mention the alcohol content of THE PERSON WHO HIT HIM or how that person did not stop immediately. This is hurtful to Tim’s family and his MANY friends. F#CK YOU Boca News. I just came home from this man’s funeral to find this victim blaming BULLSH!T.
Sad journalism
Shame on this paper!!!! Tim was our friend and we don’t care about his past, we care that he was killed by someone who was driving drunk. Where’s the mug shot of Drew Blazure? Tim’s family and friends are morning his passing and your trying to belittle him. Your article sickens me and I am in shock that your superiors would let you write such and article.
Horrible journalism. This man was killed riding his bike. Shame on you. Hope his family doesn’t read this.
I know that they definitely have… these people have no soul…. no humanity and should be totally ashamed of themselves for printing this crap…. so what he had a criminal background… he “fn” was killed…. unbelievable!!
They already have and are torn to shreds!!!!!! This is My Daughter-In-Laws Brother and the Family is just SICK about this….Tim was a VERY LOVING YOUNG MAN who was really getting his life back together!!! Justice will be served and God and The Universe are watching out for the Van Orden Family…RIP Timothy….You will never be forgotten…XO
Really Boca News staff? The Victim had a record? How about the guy driving the car? Is someones past even relevant here? Drag the guy through the mud why don’t you? Do you have an opinion here because clearly all I see is mud slinging. Wondering who your tipster was, perhaps family of the drunk driving the car? This is low class journalism at it’s finest. This article should be retracted, Have some respect for the deceased and his family. Disgusting.
How dare you??? What about letting the dead REST IN PEACE??? Tim was not in the middle of committing a crime when this happened so why bring up his past record??? SO what he had a past record?? That makes this ok for someone to strike and kill him? Why not talk about the person who KILLED HIM?? How would YOU feel WHOEVER wrote this if Tim were your friend or son?? Have you thought about his family who is mourning the loss of Tim instead of insulting someone who is no longer with us? I feel sorry for you!! YOU are a disgusting person!
This article is crap, why talk bad about the victim? He was obviously obeying the law and riding a bicycle because he lost his license, but not one prop for that only negative comments. Bunch of bull.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves! This man was killed by a drunk driver! Where is the story about the driver? Why isn’t his face plastered here? Tim has friends and family that care and love him and he is the victim here! Get a life and learn how to report the news!
Tim was a beautiful person!
He was killed by a drunk driver.
Horrible journalism!!!
Being a journalism major this not a real paper it seems obvious from their writing most likely want to be journalist who could not make it even to the minor leagues. The giveaway is the author is “new staff” the person who wrote was influenced by an outside source and worried about printing their name. This National Enquirer type of publication lacks any integrity to be a real news source. I am just so sad family and friends had to read this.
The purpose of this article is…?
What a total insult to an innocent victim of a senseless crime.
The editor should be fired and the journalist should find a new career.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves for writing this and then having such a level of stupidity to publish it.
This is pathetic. Whomever had the audacity to scribe this crap should hit his or her knees and thank GOD that a drunk driver CLEARLY hasn’t taken someone from YOUR life, or there’s NO WAY you would have the audacity to have published this bullsh*t.
What a coward you are for not even listing your name as the author. Is that so we can’t possibly look up YOUR record? We all have skeletons in our closets… let me know yours so I can write an article about YOU!!
I hope karma catches up to you, and QUICK. That’s what I will be praying for today…
Nicely done Shelli. Karma always wins.
Does having a troubled past make Tim any less of a victim? And, how is this news? You should be ashamed of yourselves! Tim, was a brother, a son and a friend. As you drag his name through the mud, perhaps you would be well served by keeping that in mind. Whatever difficulties Tim may have had later in his life, I will always remember him as a kind, generous, and caring person. My thoughts and prayers are with all of his friends and family.
This is unconscionable!
I went to school with Tim. I can’t believe what I am reading!!!!!!!!!
I thought this was going to be about DREW BLAZURE. The 24 year old drunk driver who KILLED Tim. Tim, who NEVER killed anyone. We all have a past. We have all made mistakes. Especially the “writer”, editor, and newspaper of such an article, for attacking someone who had their life tragically and senselessly taken.
By the way, any true journalist proof-reads their work before submitting it to print, as does their editor. Shoddy work from a shoddy “newspaper”.
Tim Van Orden WILL be remembered in a loving light. He is greatly loved, and will be greatly missed. May he soar peacefully with our Father’s most divine and elite Angels. May we all feel his comfort and love as he watches over us from above.
To Tim’s family, and of those he touched~My heart, thoughts, and prayers are with you.
It is ignorance which would support the writing of this article. It is sickening to know that an article like this is likely the result of grandiosity and perhaps even a payoff. To see an article belittling the VICTIM of a tragedy is abhorrent “journalism”. You are part of what is wrong with this country. Shame on you.
Hack writers by the looks of it. Seriously, the whole “BocaNewsNow.com staff” takes credit for this sh*t heap? How many writers do you really even have for this bologna website? At least have the integrity to name yourself, or yourselves.
Let me ask you something, Do Tim’s crimes include riding into oncoming traffic too? What about VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER?? Drew Blazure may not have a record yet, but VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER while DUI is a hell of a place to start. I shudder to think what this kids record might be in seventeen years, when he is Tim’s age, if this is his starting point.
This article is a disgrace. Did that “tipster”, I mean that kid’s family give you a kickback for your “due diligence”?
Why would you go and post this guys past? What does his past have to do with his death? This man has died. Your journalism lacks a lot of credibility. Big deal, you went and dug up his records! Is that going to bring him back? Are you helping his family? What has he been accused of here? Obeying the law and riding a bike instead of driving a car? Get a life and go report something worthy. You have done nothing but insult your own integrity and hurt this family. Shame on you
Have some perspective…This is despicable. Shame on you, Boca news now staff. I hope you would lose sleep after writing such drivel, as I have reading it, but that would require integrity. Drink bleach
As a journalist you should be
fired and seek employment in the rag mags as you are obviously not qualified for much more
than that! As a human being you should burn in hell for causing any more pain to the people who loved him and are mourning !
It is ignorance which would support the writing of this article. It is sickening to know that an article like this is likely the result of grandiosity and perhaps even a payoff. To see an article belittling the VICTIM of a tragedy is abhorrent “journalism”. You are part of what is wrong with this country. Shame on you.
Who cares anything about his criminal record??? The guy DIED! Through no fault of his own, and in no way connected to his past! What poor alarmist journalism… the writer should be ashamed of this article and the paper should pull it and issue an apology to his family! Just disgusting!
Wow, this really confirms my suspicion that this rag is run by a single weirdo with a vendetta. How dare you drag this man through the mud after his death? WHO CARES about his past record? Why aren’t you going after the person who killed him?? I’m not reading this crap paper anymore. Goodbye, freak.
Wow, a more appropriate title for this, “Let’s Blame the Victim”. This is so grossly unbalanced and I can’t help but wonder if the author of this story is married to the driver of that car…failing to mention the driver’s blood alcohol level…how the driver FLED the scene. This is akin to writing a story about rape and only reporting on the victim’s sexual history. Wow!
Shame on you boca news! This article is such a disgrace. Where is the mug shot of the guy that hit him? He was obviously obeying the law and riding his bike because of his loss if license. Tim was a great guy with a past. Who doesn’t have one?? Whoever wrote this article you should be ashamed of yourself.
How dare you do this to Tim and his family. How dare you bring up his past really that has nothing to do with what happened to Tim or the pain you jerks our causing his family. This is the worst Tim was the victim and so was his family and you don’t say anything about the drunk that killed him!!! I hope you guys can sleep at night because karma is a big fat B••CH. I hope enough people in Florida boy cot your paper because its not news you write its Trash!!!!! Wow I hate to see if any of your past mistakes every come back to kick you in the butt. Tim was a good person with a past who cares he was a great friend,brother,son and uncle. You people need to do what’s right and clean up Tim name thanks!!!!
His past is irrelevant – this is a pathetic attempt of journalism. Fact is he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. I went to school with Tim and its a shame you focus only on the negative. Did you know Tim personally – NO! Focus on the story at hand – he was killed. How does his past history change or affect the outcome of this most unfortunate event?? It doesn’t and shame on you for printing such am article.
This is the most disgusting thing I have seen from a newspaper. Why? This article should be retracted and you should be ashamed of yourselves. How about doing some investigative research on the driver and not the victim? How about reporting how many people loved Tim?
This is such a shame to see this type if journalism at the time of an innocent persons death! This man was our friend , classmate , and someone’s brother , son , ….. Ect … Why on earth would a public paper write about his past when he has just Gotten Killed by a DRUNK DRIVER??? Where’s that scumbags name and photo??? The kid who killed him was 24 years old, how’s that for irresponsible ???? This world we live in is so twisted anymore , when people would like to try to slander the innocent and glorify the guilty??? Get it together people!!! God rest his soul, and R.I.P. Tim ….prayers to his family and loved ones … And whomever is in charge of this should be ashamed !! Time to reevaluate who writes for your paper!!!!
Pathetic journalism! This ENTIRE article is soley pointed at irrelevant information. Why would you focus on the VICTIM’s UNRELATED past history? Do you really think that having a past history, regardless of incident, makes this man any less of a VICTIM? He was STRUCK and KILLED by another human. Have you run out of facts when creating this sensationalized headline? How much were you paid to be so DISRESPECTFUL to his loved ones by publishing this GARBAGE?
I have to say, this article makes my skin crawl. How someone can bring up issues of someones past that have no relevance to what happened is beyond me. “Freedom of the press” maybe so, but what about common decency and respect for a human being who was killed. You should be ashamed for writing this and those who allowed this to be posted should also be ashamed. I am sure there are many who feel like I do.
I have to ask, what was your purpose in writing this article? To hurt the family? Make Tim look like the bad guy and got what he deserves? Take the spotlight off Blazure? I would like a response please. Or will you just say nothing and hide behind your computer?
Excellent response Darryl !!!!
Thank you Erica J.
His family should sue you sleazebags for liable. Who hit him? Does his history have anything to do with the incident? By drudging up past drug and alcohol interaction you directly suggest it was the cause of his demise.. Did he run a stop? Was he riding in a way to suggest impairement? You owe his family a public apology. Seriously, no mention of his murderer? You have 0 journalistic integrity. Do not slander the dead to sell your rag.
WOW! I’m repulsed that anyone would take the time to write such an article. Shame on you!
Seriously? You call this journalism? You got a tip about the victim? How about working on tips about the Suspect who killed this poor man who was out riding his bike, legally, in a bike lane! Where is the article and information on the Suspect? A High School paper can do better than this article! Your paper and journalist should be ashamed of themselves for dragging a victim through the mud. Yes he had a bad record but what does that have to do with him dying? You all seriously need to look up what a true journalism is about or find a new career cause you seriously suck at your job
For Shame Boca…Tim Was The Victim In The Accident…And You Have Nothing Better To Write On The Incident Other Than He Had Arrests…Not The fact That He Was On A BICYCLE And The Other Person Was In A MOTOR VEHICLE. Would You Have Done The Same If He Were A PEDESTRIAN? I Think You Owe The Van Orden Family and Friends An APPOLOGY At The Least.
Was this really necessary to put his past in this article. He was the one who was hit…not the other way around~~where is the article and picture of the drunk DREW BLAZURE who hit him? SHAME ON THIS ARTICLE and the Boca News Staff……..REALLY!!!!!! Obviously nobody was thinking of his family and friends who are morning him. Karma is a bitch, that’s all I’m gonna say!! What a bunch of CRAP!! Also to the Boca police for giving out this information to a piece of crap news paper.
Funny how the article is written by “staff.” No real journalist would take credit for such unsubstantiated work . ( I am actually guessing an unsupervised intern wrote it) A man was killed. The article seems to leave out any facts that prove — or even correlate to –how his challenged past was somehow the cause of or in any way connected to his tragic death. Seems like a very “National Enquirer” let’s give our advertisers their money’s worth and sensationalize this as much as we can” kind of reporting. Or perhaps you what you are really trying to tell us that in BOCA NEWS NOW’S opinion if he had been a “good” man he would be “worthy” of sadness and mourning but since he had a troubled past he didn’t really matter to your “staff” and he shouldn’t matter to us, your readers either. Oh and you know what else let’s finish up with the sensational – VICTIM is going to be tested for drugs and alcohol. Instead of the simple truth “in accordance with Florida law, both the driver and victim will have mandatory toxicology tests run. Those reports could take several months to be completed.”
To the reporter of this article – I am quite sure this was not the kind of journalist you dreamed of becoming.
I just spoke to an attorney and his family can sue this blog non newsite for slander. Once they mourn they should go and take down the whole blog and the uneducated people who wrote it! Hopefully this disgusting rag will have to pay so much in legal fees and shunned from any other mediocore job they can try to get.
First off, slander is the spoken defamation of a person. Libel is “defamation by printed or written word”.
Second, defamation is “unjustified injury of the good reputation of another.” Granted, Tim Van Orden had a troubled past, but as what was printed is in no way relevant to his being struck and killed by a car, I believe that qualifies as unjustified and therefore falls into the category of libel.
Good journalism should stick to the facts as relevant to what happened. If you want to dig up dirt on someone, it should be on the person who hit and killed the victim, not the victim himself. This is not good journalism. It is offensive, hurtful to the family and friends of the victim, and just plain unethical.
Perhaps that is true. If his license was not suspended he might have been in a car. If whomever wrote this article felt it necessary to say why he was riding a bike (or presumably why), it should also have been noted that he was in compliance. The rest of the facts reported have no bearing whatsoever on his role as the VICTIM in this unfortunate incident. Your comment that it’s all relevant is simply not true. It is in very poor taste to publish such unsavory information about a victim of a crime just to gain readers.
Question: If I had been walking on the side of that road and were hit by the DRUNK driver (maybe I was coming home from work, maybe I can’t afford a car, hey – maybe A MILLION reasons why I was walking there or biking there)…how would it be my fault? I have zero criminal record. Please explain.
So by your explanation, If Tim had simply been riding OR driving home from a late shift at work, he would STILL be less of a victim in your eyes because he has a record?? Have you ever heard of FORGIVENESS? It’s a shame you don’t have the courage to take this article down – we will help you out with that over the next few days by contacting your competitors, advertisers and subscribers in all means possible to let them know what an upstanding human you are. Karma Karma Karma
Published Piece View: I don’t consider this piece as journalism as it is utterly incomplete. It rivals the back-yard written junk that has so prevalently taken hold of and infected the collective sense of appropriateness, relevancy, perspective, and sense of judge-and-jury wrapped in a cloak of self-righteous narcissism. Worse yet is the public consumes this – obvious, as you are still in business – and worse yet advertisers pay you to put their ads alongside your dribble. I refuse to read farther than this ‘highlight’ of your journalistic capabilities. Its shameful. I wonder what your outcome is if I apply the same judge-and-jury approach to you and your ‘toilet paper’ as you have to Tim…
Personal View: Tim was a wonderful person. And he still is. Despite his issues of his past. Thankfully, in living with his own demons we never read he killed someone. I hope those that love and know Tim find peace within. I hope his killer has plenty of ‘quite time’ to consider the consequences of his actions. i hope you reconsider and republish and redeem yourselves. And I hope Tim is eternally happy.
WOW I am completely dumb founded by this article. I was shocked on Saturday to learn that a fellow high school classmate of mine was killed while riding his bicycle. We come from a small town in northern New Jersey and when something like this happens we all are affected.
I do not understand why would it matter what Tim’s past has to do with this incident, his past is irrelevant. He was on his bicycle because he didn’t have a license; I’d say that was pretty responsible because you have a lot of people that still would have driven.
This article is a disgrace and the Boca News Now writers and editors should be ashamed of themselves for writing such slander of a deceased. This article should be pulled and the family of the deceased should be apologized to but sad to say the damage has already been done. You’ve lowered yourselves to the lowest level imaginable. Oh and PS please have the person who wrote this article check his spelling before he decides to publish anything else…the bicyclist stuck, think you meant struck!
RIP in peace Tim…J-Town missed you!!!
Ok, so I realized I had a typo…sorry to all those that read it 🙁
RIP Tim…J-Town misses you!!!!
So, Boca News Now, are you saying that because this man had a past it justifies his death? It is absolutely disgusting the way you are reporting this. Yes, this man had a past, but he also had family and friends and as long as you have some dirt to dig up on someone, hooray for you! If this had been a person on a bicycle with no record, you would be talking about how sad and tragic the loss was. I think you should be proud that you are solidifying the public’s opinion about the media…bunch of sensationlist vultures….caw….caw….
How dare you report my friend’s unfortunate past…what does ANY of that information have to do with the fact that he was killed by a drunk driver. This makes me sick and appalled to read about this. Tim was a classmate of mine from Jefferson Township, NJ….a great individual, always there to help others, always had a smile on his face, and always made us laugh. THAT is the way he should be remembered. A persons path in life has no place in this unfortunate accident…his past didn’t cause some drunk kid from running him down and killing him…talk about Drew Blazure’s past and why he was driving drunk at 2:45am…THAT is the story.
I will chose to remember my friend as the caring, loving, happy go lucky, fantastic human being that he was! RIP Tim…we’re all going to miss your spirit…He may not have been a saint, but that matters not…who of us can say we are?
What a shame that this man was struck and killed and you only care to discuss his past. For shame.
I read this article three times. I then and went and looked for the article on Drew Blazure. Nothing?
Now go and do your job and seek out Drew Blazure. How he got intoxicated, where he got intoxicated, who served him to get him intoxicated. Then start to ask the tough questions, like why did you get behind the wheel and try to drive?
The fact that Tim had a past is irrevelant to the story. It may not be irrelevant to Drew Blazure though if he has a past of being intoxicated and driving a vehicle.
Drew Blazure was a bright kid from everything that I found on him. Maybe you should report how he just threw someone’s life away along with the possiblity of his own.
Hey Boca News Now – if you think the people who commented on the above article are just going to let this go, guess what, that is not what we were taught to do. We stand up for our classmates and friends.
Pretty sad! Is this paper trying to take the spot lite off of the fact that a person was killed by a DUI? I wonder if the people responsible for this article will out this afternoon for happy hour laughing over the comments made about what they wrote! Everyone has a past and people make mistakes! Here’s an idea, why don’t you write a article about Mr Belton! You know him? The WWII Vet 89 years old killed by two teen black thugs by continuously punching him the face! Tim was a good guy! Let him and his family have their peace! Jess B!
This man was a victim, he was killed tragically, he has family left behind who are mourning his loss. Why the writer would choose to focus on his past is beyond comprehension. Where is the compassion? Oh, I guess compassion doesn’t sell news does it?! Prayers to Tim’s family for having to deal with this huge slap in the face in addition to their loss.
How dare you as a so called journalist write something as awful as this. This mans life was taken away from him and everyone else that loved him by a DRUNK DRIVER. Why would you trash talk him. His past true or not has nothing to with how he was taken from all. Maybe try sitting back and thinking of the pain your cr*p words above could be causing a family that is already suffering and hurting. I don’t understand what the point was for writing this garbage but it only makes me think you yourself are a person full of anger, hate, and out right miserable with your own being.
I do not know Mr. Van Orden, but reading this article makes me angry and sickened. By reporting his past legal troubles, are you somehow insinuating he was less of a victim? It makes me wonder what the TRUE story is…who was the drunk driver? What’s his full story? Were these “tipsters” somehow using their position(s) in society to deflect attention away from the real story? Are they connected/related to the drunk driver? Why was the drunk driver never mentioned in your article? I’ve never even heard of your little outfit before, but I’d bet money that we’re not going to find out the answers to my questions through you. It would take real journalists to report that.
With “reporting” like this, it’s pretty scary that you have noted on here that “BocaNewsNow.com is the leading site for news and information based in Boca Raton, Florida.” Wow.
This “biker” was still paying for his past and now has paid the ultimate price. He was following the rules of his sentence, not breaking the law by driving. But none of that even matters in this case. He was on a bicycle and was hit by a car. The victum’s past has no right being the story. The story is what the driver of the car was doing wrong. You really should be ashamed for writing this article.
Sit back and bask in the glory that your article is recieving so many hits as “going viral” seems to be the only purpose here. If I’m wrong, defend why the piece was written.
I don’t ever find myself compelled to respond publicly to articles written, however, I just was just shared this link on Facebook and found myself extremely sadden by the extremely poor journalism that the article conveyed. I’m not sure if the writer ever lost a loved one and realizes how hurt Tim’s family and friends are and will be when they read this article.
I graduated high school with Tim and had the honor to call him a friend. To say Tim was a great guy is an understatement, he was not only a loyal friend and would be there for you no matter what was going on in his life, he also held his family very close to his heart.
Although in recent years we lost touch – reading posts from his current circle of friends I can see his character was still as solid as it was 23 years ago.
We lost one of the good guys and those of us who knew him will always cherish the memories we shared- no poor journalism or negative article written of Tim can take that away.
Very well said Cheryl!!! I concur!
I agree with Cheryl as well. No article written by a cowardly stranger can change what’s real to those who knew him. RIP Tim none of us feel any differently about you having read this poor attempt to discredit your good nature.
You should be ashamed of yourselves! Tim’s past has nothing to do with him being killed by a drunk driver one who supposedly tried to flee the seen! What a great character this man is, only worrying about himself and no thought for the life that he just hit! As a wife of a victim who was killed by a drunk driver, I am sickened to read what you wrote! As usual in this country if one has money there seems to be no responsibility for their actions. Do you think the American public is stupid with you tipster comment? We all know the family tipped you off to deflect the real responsibility from DREW BLAZURE and not to discredit his name and possible future in politics! And to discredit his family which I am making an assumption have $ to try to protect this loser! WE all make mistakes and unfortunately Drew did as well, but now he needs to pay for his actions and take responsibility rather than having his family/friends try to put the blame on Tim! As said earlier, my husband was killed by a drunk driver who never took responsibility and him and family tried to act like they were the victims in all of this. No one cared that my husband lost his life and my less than 2 year old and two week old daughters were left without a father and his family lost a son and brother! These people were just like Drew and his family trying to deflect the real blame in all of this! You as a journalist, should really be ashamed of yourself and this so called new paper/website is a disgrace to the country! Obviously you got paid off very handsomely or do the devils work! As with many of the other replies, karma will come back to haunt you and I just wish Tim’s family can witness it! It does not matter what Tim did in past, he was a son, a brother and uncle and friend and no one needs to have their family member written up in this manner when they are the victim! I hope they sue your butt’s off! Really hope it was worth the payoff because your time will come!
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