SALADO, Texas — Texas Department of Public Safety officials have arrested a Killeen man in connection with a deadly hit-and-run that killed a tow truck driver on Interstate 35 in December 2024.
Troopers responded at about 12:14 a.m. Dec. 20, 2024, to a crash on northbound I-35 near Exit 287 in Salado involving a tow truck operator, DPS said. The driver, identified as 57-year-old David Conrad Holz, was loading a disabled vehicle onto his tow truck when he was hit and killed by a passing car.
In the days following the crash, DPS asked for the public’s help identifying the suspect vehicle, which was described as a light gold or tan Chevrolet Impala with damage to the front right passenger side. The car was missing a mirror and door handle and may have had windshield damage, according to police. Dash camera footage from the tow truck showed the Impala’s brake lights briefly activated before the driver continued north without stopping.
The investigation later led troopers to 24-year-old Jesse G. Hernandez Jr. of Killeen. DPS said Hernandez was found in Laredo, Texas, and taken into custody in connection with the crash. He was taken to the Webb County Jail and released to jail staff.
According to an arrest affidavit, an attorney told law enforcement he had a client who had a family member who may have been involved in the crash. The lawyer reportedly identified Hernandez as the driver of the suspect vehicle and provided the keys to the car, a gold 2015 Chevrolet Impala.
The affidavit said the car had “significant” damage to its right side, including a missing right-side mirror, a cracked front passenger window, a broken right rear passenger window and shattered glass throughout the vehicle.
DPS lab reports found that Holz “could not be ruled out as a contributor” of DNA found on the exterior of the vehicle, according to the affidavit.
Family members reportedly told authorities that Hernandez had arrived home around 1 a.m. on Dec. 20 in the damaged Impala.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details were released.