The February 2025 chase resulted in a fiery downtown crash and two young occupants dead.
SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio police detective ran multiple red lights and wasn’t safely operating his vehicle when he started pursuing a stolen vehicle without authorization last year, disciplinary records show.
Joseph Gorena was ultimately suspended for 15 days last fall after an internal investigation found he also didn’t activate his emergency lights or sirens during the pursuit on Feb. 6, 2025. According to records, he was driving a covert vehicle, “which was a vehicle not normally used for patrol and/or traffic enforcement.”
According to records, Gorena entered the pursuit at 4:20 p.m. just west of downtown along West Martin Street, saying, “Alright, I got it,” and taking lead position in the chase. SAPD officials found he ignored red traffic lights “during periods of heavy traffic” at four different intersections in less than a minute as the pursuit winded along West Martin near Interstate 35.
At one point, records state, Gorena was heard via radio transmission files describing the vehicle he was pursuing as: “Uh, a little fast, a little fast.”
“Detective Gorena, while engaged in a police incident, failed to operate his covert vehicle in a safe manner and in compliance with all traffic laws,” disciplinary records state.
According to city records, he has been employed by the city since September 2009.
Those driving the car continued maneuvering erratically, hitting multiple vehicles before driving towards officers, police officials at the time said. Authorities said the officers “were in fear” and shot at the car as it headed towards them; the vehicle then continued for about a block before it struck a building and burst into flames, ending the chase.
Two occupants, 19-year-old Nathaniel Ray Moreno and 15-year-old Nicholas Rodriguez, were pulled out of the car by law enforcement. Moreno died at the scene while Rodriguez later died from his injuries at a hospital.