WHITE SETTLEMENT, TX — Law enforcement took a man into custody following an incident where he allegedly hit a pedestrian on Saturday night and then drove to a White Settlement restaurant parking lot with the deceased pedestrian in his passenger seat, the body having gone through the front windshield.
Police initiated an investigation upon receiving a welfare check call just after 11 p.m. An officer responded to a Jack in the Box parking lot and discovered a gray Kia Forte displaying front-end, hood, and windshield damage.
White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook described the initial call as reporting a “crashed car with the driver slumped over the wheel.”
The responding officer observed what appeared to be a deceased individual in the passenger seat. The driver, later identified as Nestor Joel Lujan Flores, was apprehended after authorities determined he was impaired.
Upon arrival of first responders, it was confirmed that the person in the passenger seat was deceased. The victim's identity has not yet been disclosed.
Reportedly, Flores informed police that he believed he had struck an animal in Dallas and then drove to the restaurant parking lot without contacting authorities.
Despite contacting multiple agencies for information regarding the crash, no local agencies had reported a hit-and-run or pedestrian-related incident.
“There was a bit of confusion at the scene. He was unaware of his location and thought he hit an animal, but in reality, we now know it was a pedestrian,” Chief Cook stated.
Subsequently, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office discovered human body parts at I-30 and Cockrell Hill Road. Investigators presume this location as the crash site, where the impact propelled the victim into the passenger seat.
It is suspected that Flores drove approximately 40 miles to the restaurant parking lot with the deceased individual in his car.
“Video review indicates he arrived in the parking lot around 8 p.m., signifying he remained at our Jack in the Box for three hours and 13 minutes before the initial call,” Cook mentioned.
Authorities have established Flores' movements before the crash. A Flock camera captured Flores in his undamaged car at 6 p.m. at the intersection of East Mayfield and New York Avenue in Arlington.
“From 6:01 p.m., we believe he traveled into Dallas County, likely involved in a collision at I-30, Cockrell Hill, and then arrived in our city around 8 o’clock,” Cook clarified.
Police records indicate that Flores was arrested and convicted of driving while intoxicated in Collin County in 2021.
Chief Cook expressed his unprecedented experience with this case, stating, “In my two decades of policing, I’ve never encountered a case like this. These instances are immensely frustrating because the trauma inflicted on a human body in such incidents is distressing, and these tragedies are preventable.”
Flores remains in custody at the White Settlement jail pending charges in Dallas County, where authorities believe the initial crash occurred.
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