{"id":116623,"date":"2025-08-03T22:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T22:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/116623\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T22:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T22:04:09","slug":"2-men-charged-with-theft-of-stolen-camaro-linked-to-deadly-i-35-crash-records-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/116623\/","title":{"rendered":"2 men charged with theft of stolen Camaro linked to deadly I-35 crash, records show"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 Two men were arrested and charged with the theft of a Chevrolet Camaro that police say collided with a small bus and killed five people<\/a> on Interstate 35 last month, according to court documents. <\/p>\n

Eric Perez, 21, and Matthew Espinosa, 18, were arrested Saturday and charged with burglary of vehicles, a misdemeanor criminal offense, according to the arrest warrants. <\/p>\n

Perez is facing an additional charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a state-jail felony, while Espinosa is also charged with failure to identify himself, records show.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Perez posted a bond of $12,500 and Espinosa posted a bond of $5,000.<\/p>\n

Surveillance video from July 15 captured Perez and Espinosa driving the stolen Camaro and breaking into another vehicle at a restaurant on the Southwest Side, the affidavit states. <\/p>\n

Court documents say Perez was seen using \u201can instrument to pry and break the driver side door handle\u201d of a Ford truck. He was then seen leaving the truck with a handbag and driving off in the stolen Camaro.<\/p>\n

The owner of the truck reported that a Gucci bag with an unknown amount of money, bank cards, and personal information was stolen from his vehicle, records show.<\/p>\n

Two days later, the Camaro collided with a small bus hauling a trailer, according to San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.<\/p>\n

After the deadly crash, detectives found a black wallet with multiple bank cards and personal information with the truck owner\u2019s name inside the Camaro.<\/p>\n

KSAT asked SAPD for an update on the case and has not heard back as of Sunday afternoon. It is unclear if further criminal charges are expected.<\/p>\n

5 killed, multiple injured after I-35 crash on Southwest Side<\/p>\n

On July 17, the stolen Camaro attempted to weave<\/a> between a small bus hauling a trailer and an 18-wheeler, according to a crash report obtained by KSAT. <\/p>\n

Investigators said that the Camaro was traveling southbound at 70 miles per hour, a speed described as \u201cunsafe\u201d in the report.<\/p>\n

It collided with the bus, which then struck a guardrail and was hit by an 18-wheeler, an SAPD preliminary report stated. The collision caused the bus to roll on its passenger side, ejecting multiple people.<\/p>\n

>> <\/b>\u2018Cared for everybody\u2019: Family remembers bus driver killed in I-35 crash on South Side<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The Bexar County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office said five people died in connection with the multi-vehicle crash.<\/p>\n

The San Antonio Fire Department said eight people suffered life-threatening injuries, while 13 others were hospitalized with minor injuries.<\/p>\n

McManus stated that the ages of those injured span from young children to older adults.<\/p>\n

McManus also said four people, including one armed with an assault rifle, fled the Camaro and the scene of the crash. <\/p>\n

Read KSAT\u2019s previous coverage: <\/b><\/p>\n