Texas Man Accused of DUI Fatally Struck Pedestrian, Drove Around with Body in Passenger Seat: Police

A man in Texas has been arrested after he allegedly fatally hit a pedestrian in Dallas with his vehicle and then drove around with the victim’s body in the passenger seat, according to authorities.

Around 11:15 p.m. on Dec. 16, officers responded to a Jack in the Box in White Settlement after receiving a call reporting a vehicle with extensive damage in the parking lot, according to the White Settlement Police Department. The caller stated the driver of the vehicle “appeared to be slumped over the steering wheel.”

At the scene, officers found a “human body with no signs of life in the front passenger seat” of the gray Kia Forte, officials said.

Police told the driver, identified as 31-year-old Nestor Joel Lujan Flores, to exit the car and he was brought in for questioning.

Medics responded to the scene and the victim found in the passenger seat was pronounced dead, authorities said.

While speaking with police, Flores reportedly said he thought he hit an animal in Dallas. Police learned there was a crash in Dallas on Interstate 30 and investigators “believe the impact was so severe that the pedestrian was thrown inside the vehicle and came to rest on the passenger seat.”

Officials from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office informed the White Settlement Police Department that they found human remains near the crash site.

Authorities said they are working together to positively identify the remains.

According to officials, Flores allegedly hit the victim in Dallas and then drove approximately 38 miles to White Settlement. He failed to seek help and did not report the incident.

Police said Flores arrived at the fast-food restaurant's parking lot between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., and a witness at the business reported that someone who was “covered in blood” asked for a phone charger.

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The vehicle was seized and test results from a blood search are pending, officials said.

Flores was booked into the White Settlement Jail on a pending charge of intoxication manslaughter, authorities said.

He was previously arrested in 2020 for driving while intoxicated, which he was convicted of in 2021.