SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The man who died in a fiery crash over the weekend in San Antonio has been identified as Joshua Orta, 25, the sole eyewitness to the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez by a federal agent in South Padre Island last year.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Joshua Orta died early Saturday morning following a high-speed crash near the I-35 frontage road and Powell Road.
According to the San Antonio Police Department, Orta was driving at a high rate of speed when he attempted to navigate a curved exit ramp, lost control of the vehicle and struck a utility pole. The impact caused the car to catch fire.
Authorities said several passengers were able to escape the burning vehicle and attempted to rescue Orta, who was trapped inside.
Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead at the scene. Police have stated that the crash remains under investigation, though preliminary findings point to excessive speed as a factor.
Orta’s death carries additional significance because he was the only passenger in the vehicle when his longtime friend, Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was shot and killed on March 15, 2025, by a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent during a traffic incident in South Padre Island.
According to an internal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report, HSI agents were assisting the South Padre Island Police Department with traffic control following a separate accident involving injuries.
The report states that a blue Ford approached the controlled intersection shortly after midnight.
Agents allegedly instructed the driver to stop. The report claims Martinez initially failed to comply but eventually slowed the vehicle.
Federal authorities state that agents surrounded the car and ordered both Martinez and Orta to exit.
The report alleges that Martinez accelerated, striking an HSI special agent who landed on the hood of the vehicle.
A supervisory special agent then fired multiple rounds through the open driver-side window. Martinez was transported to a hospital in Brownsville, where he was pronounced dead.
The injured HSI agent was treated for a knee injury and later released.
Joshua Orta was taken into custody at the scene that night. In the months that followed, he reportedly prepared a written statement intended to assist attorneys representing Rachel Reyes, the mother of Ruben Ray Martinez.
According to reporting from national outlets, Orta’s account contradicted portions of the federal narrative, including claims that Martinez deliberately struck an officer or that drugs or alcohol played a role in the encounter.
Orta also reportedly asserted that neither the HSI agent who fired the shots nor other officers present had activated body-worn cameras at the time of the shooting.
Federal authorities have not publicly released body camera or dashcam footage from the incident.
The shooting remains under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger Division, commonly known as the Texas Rangers.
Officials have said the case is still active and have declined to provide additional comment while the review continues.
The deaths of Ruben Ray Martinez and Joshua Orta have intensified calls for transparency from state and federal authorities.
Lawmakers and civil rights advocates have urged the release of investigative records and video evidence to clarify the events surrounding the March 2025 shooting.
As of this week, no criminal charges have been announced in connection with the fatal encounter on South Padre Island, and no additional official findings have been made public regarding the actions of the Homeland Security Investigations agents involved.
