Well-known former Bend chef riding e-bike struck, killed by apparent DUII hit-and-run driver in Medford bike lane - KTVZ

(Update: Comments from crash victim's wife, Bend Brewing Co.)

Grieving widow Nikki: 'He was one of the best chefs there was, and I'll miss his cooking very much.'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Family and friends are mourning the loss of a well-known, long-time Bend chef, Jason Thomas, who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash by an apparent DUII driver Friday afternoon while riding his e-bike in a bike lane on a Medford highway.

In a statement Monday to NewsChannel 21, Jason's wife, Nikki Thomas, said, "Jason was an amazing man. He was my best friend, and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. His loss is completely devastating.

"I am overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of support from our community. Jason deserves all of it. For now, I am hopeful the Medford Police Department investigators can efficiently and completely piece the facts of this tragedy together. There should be accountability for the senseless devastation caused to Jason’s family and me.

"For now, I would ask you to respect my right and need to grieve until we have more answers,” she added.

Medford Police said Saturday that an initial investigation and witness statements indicate the bicyclist was heading south on the South Pacific Highway (Highway 99) around 3:20 p.m. Friday in a designated bike lane when a southbound vehicle drifted into the bike lane and struck him.

The driver did not stop and fled the scene, police said, but was quickly located in a nearby parking lot and detained.

Meanwhile, officers at the crash scene immediately attempted life-saving measures, but the bicyclist died at the scene. Medford’s Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team was activated to assist in the investigation.

Police said witnesses saw the vehicle swerving before the crash, KOBI-TV reported. Medford Police Special Services Sergeant Steve Furst said the agency is looking at this as a criminal case.

“Of course, we’ll have to gather all the evidence and do a complete investigation before we release all of our findings," Furst said at the scene. "But right now, we do believe that there was impairment involved with the driver of the vehicle that struck the bicyclist.”

Furst said the vehicle driver was not injured and is cooperating, KOBI reported.

Authorities have not released the names of the crash victim or driver, but NewsChannel 21 was contacted Sunday by family members of Thomas who wanted to be sure his many friends and family in Central Oregon were aware of his passing.

"Jason was a beloved husband, son, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend," his wife, Nikki, told us Sunday. "He put a smile on everyone's face he came in contact with. Always willing to help at the drop of a hat. He was one of the best chefs there was, and I'll miss his cooking very much."

Nikki Thomas said she met Jason working at the Pine Tavern, where he started in 2005. He’d also been a chef at The Phoenix Restaurant and at Bend Brewing Company.

In a statement to NewsChannel 21, Bend Brewing Company said, "Throughout the years, he has come in and has been a very fun, loving, kind, professional guy, and his wife Nikki would always be with him. You could tell they were a couple really in love. They always had such great energy about them, and it’s heartbreaking."

Thomas's Facebook page shows he also worked as executive chef at Ox and Fin, a sous chef at Bourbon Street Bend and for a time was director of dining services at Cascades of Bend Assisted Living. He also studied at COCC.

The couple had been together for 16 years and married 10 years ago. Jason Thomas turned 41 last Monday.

Nikki Thomas, who grew up in Bend and graduated from Mountain View High School, said her husband was from the Galt/Lodi, California area "and moved to Bend when he was 18 to pursue his dream of working in a kitchen."

She said they still share a home with her mother in Bend, but after she graduated from nursing school in 2018, the couple moved to Reno for four years, then moved into their travel trailer in 2022. Since then, she has been working as a critical-care traveling nurse, most recently under contract in Medford.

Nikki Thomas said her husband rode his e-bike “all the time. I have an e-bike, too, and we have a truck to pull the trailer. He loved riding bikes.”

“He was doing everything right,” she said of her husband. “He had a high-visibility vest. He had a helmet on. He was doing everything he should have been.”

She said her mother and best friend traveled to Medford to help in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Nikki said she and Jason's friends and family have placed an impromptu roadside memorial along the Medford highway where the crash occurred, in Jason's honor, with photos, flowers and a handwritten sign: "Do Not Drive Impaired! You Ruin MORE Lives Than Yours!!"

“It’s going to be a long time before I get my life back together,” Nikki Thomas said.

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