San Antonio Man Charged With Intoxication Manslaughter After Passenger Ejected and Killed

A Deadly Ride on Southeast Loop 410

A man was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter after a passenger in his vehicle died in a Southeast Side crash this past weekend, according to San Antonio Police. The case is a grim reminder of how impaired driving can turn an ordinary night into a tragedy in seconds — not just for the driver, but for anyone unlucky enough to be along for the ride.

Around 8 p.m. on Saturday, officers were dispatched to a crash involving one vehicle in the 9000 block of Southeast Loop 410 eastbound access road. When officers arrived, they found a man who had been ejected from the car. San Antonio Fire Department personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

What Investigators Found

According to the San Antonio Police Department, 42-year-old Nicholas Fernandez was driving at a high rate of speed when the vehicle veered off the roadway, ejecting the passenger. Officers arrived to find the 43-year-old passenger dead at the scene. Speed and intoxication are a lethal combination, and this crash illustrates exactly how quickly things can go catastrophically wrong.

SAPD said the driver showed signs of intoxication and was being treated as the suspect in the case. Fernandez has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and resisting arrest, search or transport. The added charge of resisting arrest suggests the situation remained volatile even after the crash occurred.

Booked and Bonded

Nicholas Fernandez, 42, was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on a $150,000 bond, records show. That bond amount reflects the seriousness with which Texas courts treat intoxication manslaughter — a second-degree felony under state law that can carry a prison sentence of two to 20 years upon conviction.

The victim, a 43-year-old man, lost his life not behind the wheel, but as a passenger — someone who placed his trust in the driver beside him. That detail makes the case particularly sobering. Passengers often have little control over the choices of the person driving, yet they bear the ultimate consequences when those choices are reckless.

A Recurring Problem on San Antonio Roads

This crash is not an isolated incident. San Antonio has seen a troubling pattern of alcohol-related fatalities on its roads in recent years. One man was sentenced to 45 years in prison for a fatal 2020 crash, according to the Bexar County District Attorney's Office — a stark illustration of the long-term legal consequences that can follow a single night of impaired driving. Prosecutors in Bexar County have shown a willingness to pursue serious penalties in these cases.

As the investigation into the Southeast Loop 410 crash continues, the focus will likely turn to the results of any toxicology testing, witness accounts, and the full circumstances of that Saturday evening. Fernandez faces not only the intoxication manslaughter charge but also the resisting arrest count, meaning his legal exposure is significant. For the family of the man who died on the side of that access road, no verdict will undo the loss — but the case moves forward as a test of accountability on San Antonio streets.