SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police officers have identified and arrested a suspect in connection with a West Side crash that killed a 12-year-old boy and his 20-year-old uncle last week.
Jose Juan Nagera, 38, was officially booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center just before 4 a.m. Sunday, jail records indicate. Nagera is facing two injury caused by highway racing charges, which are both considered second-degree felonies.
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According to court records, Nagera’s bond was set at $100,000, or $50,000 for each charge. As of Monday morning, Nagera remains in custody.
Officers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash just after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, in the 1200 block of Culebra Road.
Initially, three people — the 12-year-old boy, 20-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman — were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition.
SAPD said the boy, later identified as Jonathan Rivera, died from his injuries the following day. On Thursday, police said Rivera’s uncle, identified as Raul Gallegos Jr., was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Authorities at the time said they were on the lookout for a suspect driving a truck who fled the scene before police arrived.
At this time, the latest on the 66-year-old woman’s condition is unclear.
Police: Deaths preceded by race down Culebra Road
According to Nagera’s arrest affidavit, multiple officers responded to the crash on Tuesday night. Authorities said they found two vehicles at the scene: a white Chevrolet Cavalier (where Gallegos was the driver and Rivera was a passenger) and a white Honda Accord driven by the 66-year-old woman.
Investigators said they obtained video of the Chevrolet Cavalier, driven by Gallegos, and a truck “racing” down Culebra Road “at a high rate of speed” in the moments leading up to the crash.
Additional video evidence, according to police, showed the Cavalier crashing into the woman’s Honda Accord. The crash resulted in Gallegos and Rivera’s deaths, the affidavit stated.
Witnesses told investigators additional details about the truck, which they said belonged to Nagera, along with his whereabouts prior to the deadly crash.
Days later, officers said they conducted a traffic stop on Nagera. Authorities then showed him dashcam video of the crash, which included the truck Nagera said belonged to him.
However, Nagera told officers he left a nearby store but didn’t say whether or not he was involved in the race.
Court records show Nagera is awaiting indictment on the racing charges.
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