Horrifying bodycam footage shows the moment a migrant woman stuffed in a duffel bag had to be dragged from a fiery Texas wreck after her smuggler crashed while trying to flee authorities.
The unidentified woman was trapped inside the huge black bag when authorities hauled her from the trunk of the burning Infiniti QX56 near Laredo, according to the footage released last week.
The terrifying ordeal unfolded on March 24 when her alleged smuggler, David Padilla Jr., 29, sped off from an immigration checkpoint after a K-9 unit alerted US Border Patrol agents to something in his car, authorities said.
A migrant woman had to be rescued from a burning car after an alleged smuggler crashed it while being chased by Border Patrol in Texas on March 24, 2022. Facebook/Texas Department of Public Safety – South Texas Region
David Padilla Jr. allegedly crashed the Infiniti QX56 into a barrier on Interstate 35. Facebook/Texas Department of Public Safety – South Texas Region
Agents removing a bag with the woman inside it from the burning vehicle. Facebook/Texas Department of Public Safety – South Texas RegionPadilla allegedly crashed the vehicle into a barrier on Interstate 35 after agents deployed spike strips amid the high-speed chase.
The alleged smuggler then tried to escape on foot but was captured, authorities said.
When Padilla spotted the vehicle on fire, he allegedly said: “She is in the back. Get her out of there. Did they get her out?”
The bodycam video showed several agents rushing over to break the back window and pull out the duffel bag as the vehicle became engulfed in flames and smoke.
After unzipping the bag, authorities could be seen helping the woman to her feet as the car burned in front of her.
“Smugglers continue to expose those they are smuggling to dangerous and life-threatening conditions,” the Texas Department of Public Safety said in the wake of the ordeal.
Padilla was later charged with transport, attempt to transport and conspire to transport the female migrant.
