A Massachusetts police officer is on administrative leave as he’s accused of an off-duty fatal hit-and-run on his way home from a night of drinking with friends at a Brockton strip club.

The Hanover Police Department has placed Thomas Hayes, 36, on leave, as the officer faces charges of motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of an accident following personal injury or death.

Hayes is being held on $15,000 cash bail and ordered not to operate any motor vehicle as a condition of release following an arraignment in Brockton District Court on Tuesday.

“First and foremost, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” Hanover Police Chief Timothy Kane said in a statement. “Any loss of life is a profound tragedy, and our thoughts are with all those affected.”

“We hold our officers to the highest standards of conduct, both on and off duty,” the chief added.

Officers with the Brockton Police Department responded to reports of an unresponsive man lying in a snowbank near the intersection of Battles and Cross streets around 12:30 a.m. Monday.

After arriving at the scene, officers found the victim, later identified as Alfredo Alves, 23. Responders rushed Alves to Boston Medical Center – South in Brockton, where he was pronounced dead shortly after.

Alves suffered what Brockton police described as “a basal skull fracture.” The “fracturing on the skull was so severe that the blood flow from life saving measures caused the eyes to pulse,” the department’s report states.

A witness later voluntarily reported to Brockton police that they were a passenger in the vehicle that struck Alves, a 2022 Ford Explorer, according to prosecutors. The witness identified Hayes as the driver and also stated that the SUV sustained a “shattered windshield” during the crash.

“Law enforcement found a Ford Explorer with damage consistent to what was described following the crash in Hayes’ driveway at his Hanover residence,” the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office stated in a release.

The Brockton police report noted how Hayes’ friends allegedly told officers they continued to drink at a city strip club, the Boardroom Cabaret, after leaving a Daytona 500 party earlier in the evening at a friend’s house in Avon.

One passenger allegedly told police that they wanted Hayes to stop and check what he had hit while driving home from the strip club, but the off-duty officer said he’d respond later Monday morning.

Hanover police and town officials said in a statement, “As a result of his arrest, Officer Hayes was placed on administrative leave immediately by Police Chief Timothy Kane.”