A devastating road tragedy has shaken the community of Jacupiranga in São Paulo, Brazil, after a 19-year-old student was struck and killed by a truck while waiting at a bus stop. The victim, Joyce Akemi Santana Muraoka, was on her way to college when the incident occurred on the night of Tuesday, May 5th. A 45-year-old man was also hit by the vehicle and remains hospitalized with injuries.
The driver, identified as 37-year-old Matheus Henrique Poly Garcia, was arrested on Thursday, May 7th, following a police investigation that uncovered damning video evidence. The footage, which has been widely circulated, shows Garcia engaging in extremely reckless behavior behind the wheel of his truck in the moments leading up to the fatal collision.
In one video, Garcia is seen consuming an alcoholic beverage directly from a bottle while operating the large vehicle. A separate clip, accessed by g1 on Friday, May 8th, reveals the driver with one of his feet propped up, listening to loud music, and continuing to drink. These images were recorded by Garcia's 19-year-old employee, who was a passenger in the truck at the time.
The investigation took a complex turn when Garcia initially lied to police officers who responded to the scene. He claimed he had hired another driver for the job and that he had been asleep in the passenger seat when the crash happened. He even provided police with the name and contact information of this alleged driver, stating the man had fled into the surrounding woods.
Police located the individual Garcia accused on Wednesday, May 6th. The young man, however, provided a completely different account. He told investigators he was merely a passenger and had run from the scene at Garcia's direct request. This testimony, combined with the video evidence from the employee's phone, dismantled Garcia's fabricated story.
The video evidence proved critical. It not only showed Garcia's intoxicated state and dangerous driving but also directly contradicted his alibi. With witness statements and this visual proof, police from the Jacupiranga Sectional Precinct were able to build a strong case. They sought and obtained a preventive arrest warrant from the judiciary on charges of consummated and attempted homicide with eventual intent—a legal term in Brazil for when a person assumes the risk of causing death.
Officers tracked Garcia to the city of Piedade, São Paulo, and executed the arrest warrant on Thursday. The case highlights the severe consequences of drunk driving and the power of digital evidence in modern investigations. For the family of Joyce Akemi Santana Muraoka, a promising young student, the arrest represents a step toward justice, though the loss remains immeasurable.
The incident has sparked conversations about road safety and the responsibilities of commercial vehicle operators. The fact that the driver was allegedly consuming alcohol and driving with such blatant disregard for safety, as captured on video, underscores a systemic issue that authorities continue to combat. The legal proceedings against Garcia will now move forward, with the video evidence likely to play a central role in the prosecution's case.
Based on reporting from g1.