A 33-year-old husband and father of four was killed while riding his motorcycle home early on Oct. 17, when a white truck driver fled the scene of the crash before officers could arrive. Nearly two weeks later, his widow is still waiting for that driver to come forward.
Johnny Reyes was riding home shortly after 2 a.m. when he crashed with a white truck on U.S. 281 south near East French Place, according to KENS 5. Police said the crash happened in the 2200 block of U.S. Highway 281 southbound just after 2 a.m., and that the truck driver fled before officers arrived, according to KSAT. Reyes was pronounced dead at the scene, per police.
Initial coverage of the crash reported that the motorcyclist had not yet been identified, according to News 4 San Antonio. KSAT later reported that the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Juan Sabas Reyes Jr. Fox San Antonio and KENS 5 both identify him as Johnny Reyes, the name his family and widow use.
Wife Spent 17 Years With Him
Ariel Lucio, Reyes's wife, spent 17 years with him and is now raising their four sons alone. The couple's boys are ages 14, 8, 5 and 4, and the youngest has special needs; Reyes had helped with his youngest son's daily routine, including school, therapy and bedtime, the station's report notes.
The grief is visible in the younger boys especially. “Our 5-year-old is constantly crying. Our 8-year-old's holding it in. He's very much like his dad internally,” Lucio said. She also described the disorienting weight of the loss in a quieter, more private moment: “It's kind of hard to look at my own physical image to me, my reflection, and not see him.”
Witness Accounts Of The Crash
Witnesses told Lucio that the driver initially stopped after the crash but left once he heard sirens approaching. They described the vehicle as a white work truck with an unusual toolbox mounted on the back. According to those accounts relayed to Lucio, Reyes called out that he was not ready to die and had a family; he had been wearing a helmet that shattered in the crash, and witnesses said he suffered severe head trauma.
Separately, a friend of Reyes who was on the roadway reportedly witnessed the crash, as reported by Fox San Antonio. When Reyes's family returned to the crash site, they found his gloves and debris still on the ground.
Family Pleads For Driver To Step Forward
Lucio has pleaded publicly for the driver to come forward and take responsibility, holding onto hope that guilt will eventually push him to act. “I have faith that the driver, it'll eat at him so much that he'll come forward,” she said. She added a more personal hope for the man she believes is still out there: “I pray that Christ is in his heart.”
The San Antonio Police Department said the crash investigation remains active and ongoing, with no arrests made, and has urged anyone with information about the crash or the truck to contact the department. Fox San Antonio likewise reported that the case remains under investigation with no arrests reported.
Funeral Costs And A Community Plate Sale
Reyes's family is arranging his funeral and set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses, which Fox San Antonio reported was created to help with funeral costs. The fund had raised more than $2,500 at the time Lucio spoke with KENS 5. The family also plans to hold a plate sale on Friday, beginning at 11 a.m. until the food sells out, at Guadalupe Cheers, 5139 W Commerce St., in San Antonio.
San Antonio has repeatedly ranked among the Texas cities with the highest numbers of fatal motorcycle crashes in past years, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. For now, Lucio and her sons are left waiting, hoping the driver who left her husband dying on the roadway finds the courage she says she's praying for.
