Joshua Orta, the only known witness to the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez during a 2025 encounter with federal immigration agents in Texas, has reportedly died in what police describe as an unrelated car accident.
Orta, 25, had been preparing to formalise a written statement challenging the government's account of the March 2025 shooting. According toThe New York Times, he died over the weekend before he could sign and adopt that statement.
His death leaves the case with one less voice — and more unanswered questions.
Orta was in the passenger seat when Martinez, 23, was shot multiple times and allegedly killed by an ICE agent on 15 March 2025, after federal authorities said Martinez failed to comply with orders to exit his vehicle.
The Timesreported that Orta died in an unrelated crash over the weekend before he could sign and formally adopt the statement taken by the family's lawyers in September.
A preliminary San Antonio police report said the driver of the vehicle, Orta, was travelling 'at a high rate of speed' and lost control while attempting to exit the highway.
Joshua Orta's stepfather confirmed totheTimesthat Orta was involved in the accident, the same report said.
Alex Stamm, a lawyer for Rachel Reyes, Martinez's mother, said, 'First and foremost, Joshua's death is an awful tragedy for his family and friends, and the Reyes family is grieving with them.'
'In terms of Ruben's death, the world has also now lost a critical eyewitness,' Stamm added.
Stamm said the family believed Orta's account of events and called for the public release of government-held evidence, urging witnesses to come forward.
Source: International Business Times UK
