SAN ANTONIO – A man is behind bars after investigators connected him to a fatal rollover crash that was originally believed to be a single-vehicle accident, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
John Reyes, 31, was taken into custody and charged with failure to stop and render aid death, according to the court document.
SAPD first responded to the crash just before 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the 2500 block of IH-37 near Steves Avenue on the city’s Southeast Side.
Investigators at the time said a southbound pickup truck driver lost control and swerved into a light pole, causing it to fall off the highway and kill the driver.
On Sunday, the Bexar County Medical Examiner identified him as 61-year-old Ricardo Garcia. He died from blunt force trauma.
However, a witness, who wished to remain anonymous, later called detectives and shared screenshots from a friend confessing to being involved in the crash.
Police identified the suspect as Reyes and located his home address.
Upon arrival, detectives noticed a Pontiac G6 in the home’s driveway with heavy front right damage consistent with the crash.
When asked about the damage, Reyes told officials he struck a wall in a crash near Loop 410 and Perin Beitel a few days prior. When questioned, he changed the crash date to Friday, the day before the crash.
Before providing a voluntary statement at SAPD headquarters, Reyes agreed to have his car photographed. It was noted that the car had blue paint chips, matching the pickup truck.
Reyes then confessed to lying earlier, telling police he was involved in the crash on IH-37.
He told detectives he was at a friend’s house, and they went for drinks at a restaurant but had stopped earlier in the night since he was driving.
Reyes said while driving, a truck stopped, and he could not stop on time, causing him to strike the vehicle from behind. He told police he panicked and went home, stating he did not call the police or render aid.
His car was then taken in as evidence. Detectives returned to the scene and found vehicle parts and paint chips that matched the Pontiac.
Reyes was booked on failure to stop and render aid death.