A man who was street racing on a Brownsville-area road when the crash killed another driver pleaded guilty Monday. He is set to get 10 years of probation. No prison time.
Jose Reyna III, 25, will be sentenced on August 3. He pleaded guilty to collision involving death. As part of the deal, two other charges tied to racing on the highway will be dropped.
The man who died was Ramiro Torres. He worked as a security guard at Manzano Middle School in Brownsville. He was one of the drivers.
The crash happened on October 27, 2025, at about 1 a.m. Torres was behind the wheel of a 2004 black Chevrolet Silverado. He had a female passenger in the truck with him. Reyna was driving a Chevrolet Camaro. Both trucks were heading west on FM 3248.
They were racing.
During the race, Torres lost control of his Silverado. The truck veered to the right. It skidded and then slammed into a utility light pole.
Torres died at the scene. His passenger was taken to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville with serious injuries.
Texas Department of Public Safety worked the crash. At first, investigators did not name Reyna as the other driver. He was later identified as the man behind the wheel of the Camaro.
Reyna now faces sentencing in August. His deal calls for 10 years of probation. The racing charges will be dropped at that hearing.
The case raises hard questions. Torres was driving too. He was also racing that night. He also played a role in what happened. But he was the one who died. His passenger got hurt.
Reyna walks away from court without prison time. Whether that is justice is something the people who knew Ramiro Torres will have to decide for themselves.
Torres spent his nights keeping kids safe at a Brownsville middle school. He was doing a job that most people never think about. School security guards work late. They watch over buildings after most people go home.
No one from BISD has spoken publicly about Torres since the crash. Manzano Middle School, where he worked, is part of the Brownsville Independent School District.
The woman who was in Torres's truck that night survived. But she went to the hospital with serious injuries. Her name has not been made public.
Reyna is free while he waits for his August court date. His two other charges, both tied to racing on a public road, will be dismissed at sentencing.
Street racing on Texas roads is a serious problem. It kills people. It happens late at night when traffic is low and the roads feel empty. FM 3248 in the early morning hours of October 27 felt empty enough.
It wasn't.
Street racing charges in Texas can be hard to prove. Both drivers have to be shown to have agreed to race. Both cars must be moving at the same time in the same direction. When one driver dies, the only living person who was there is the other driver.
In this case, Reyna agreed to the charge of collision involving death. He did not take the case to trial. A plea deal ended things before a jury ever heard the facts.
Ten years of probation means Reyna stays out of prison. But he will have to check in with a probation officer. He will have rules to follow. If he breaks those rules, he could end up behind bars.
Whether 10 years of probation is enough for a man who raced and walked away while the other driver didn't is a question this community will carry for a while.
Ramiro Torres is gone. His family has not spoken publicly about the plea deal.
