Driver Of Truck In Texas Human Trafficking Case Says He Didn't Know Of Trailer's Contents

SAN ANTONIO, TX — The driver of a tractor trailer where at least 39 undocumented immigrants were found in the back in sweltering conditions with just four vent holes for them to breathe told federal authorities he didn't know there were people in the back of the truck and he only discovered them when he exited the vehicle to relieve himself, a criminal complaint alleges.

The criminal complaint paints a horrific picture of the conditions inside the truck. After the first hour of the journey, people started having trouble breathing and some began to pass out, the complaint says. Those inside began hitting the trailer walls and making noise to get the driver's attention. The driver never stopped. People began taking turns breathing from a hole in a trailer wall meant to provide ventilation.

At least 10 of the immigrants, all adult males, died. Local authorities in San Antonio found eight of the immigrants dead inside the trailer when they responded to the scene, and two people later died at local hospitals.

The driver, James Bradley Jr., 60, of Clearwater, Florida, faces one count of transporting illegal aliens. Federal officials say if convicted he could face life in prison or death. According to the criminal complaint field in United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, when a San Antonio police officer responded to the scene, he approached the tractor trailer and found multiple people standing and laying in and around the rear of the trailer. The officer then went to the tractor and shined his light in the cab when Bradley exited the vehicle.

Bradley told authorities when he exited the truck to urinate, he heard movement in the trailer and opened the trailer door, according to the complaint. The officer then found that many of the trailer's occupants were already deceased. When he opened the doors, Bradley allegedly said he was surprised when he was run over by "Spanish" people and knocked to the ground. He said he knew at least one person was dead and that the refrigeration system in the trailer didn't work, according to the complaint.

Federal officials say Bradley called his wife, but she did not answer and he didn't call 911. Police were alerted to the truck by a Walmart employee.

At police headquarters in San Antonio, Bradley told authorities he was traveling to San Antonio from Laredo, Texas, after getting his tractor trailer washed and detailed, the complaint says. He then told authorities he was delivering the trailer from Iowa to Brownsville, Texas, to its new owner. The complaint says Bradley did not know the delivery address nor was he given a time frame to deliver the trailer. He also told agents that no one else was in the area and no vehicles were there to pick up passengers.

Officials interviewed at least three of the undocumented immigrants inside the truck. One of the immigrants, who is from Mexico, told authorities he paid to be smuggled across a river in Mexico into the United States and once he reached his final destination of San Antonio he would pay the smugglers $5,500. According to the complaint, he was taken to the trailer where he estimated there were already about 70 people inside and the trailer was pitch black and it was already hot inside. He said they were not given any food or water.

The man told authorities the various groups in the trailer were given different color tape to identify them to the waiting smugglers, and they were also told the trailer had refrigeration and they should not worry, according to the complaint.

When they arrived at their destination, the driver braked hard and people inside the trailer fell over because they were so weak, the complaint says. People swarmed out, and six black SUVs waiting to pick up the people were full in a matter of minutes and left right away, the man told authorities.

Another immigrant traveling with seven distant relatives to San Antonio said his group had 24 people and when they got into the trailer it was already very hot and there were about 70 people inside. A third immigrant traveling to Minnesota told officials he thought there were about 180 to 200 people inside the tractor trailer.

Watch: At Least 9 Found Dead Inside Hot Tractor-Trailer In San Antonio

Image: James Mathew Bradley Jr., 60, of Clearwater, Florida, center, is escorted out of the federal courthouse following a hearing, Monday, July 24 in San Antonio. Bradley was arrested in connection with the deaths of multiple people packed into a broiling tractor-trailer. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)