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Ruben Garcia

Age : 34

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 07/31/2022

Location : Highway 69/Meridian Road and East Avalon Street

City : Kuna

County : Ada

State : Idaho

Agency : Meridian Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office/Kuna Police

Officer(s) :Andrew Herscowitz; Kyle Bilton; Deputy Nydeggar

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR POLICE CHASE:
Erratic driving and driving without headlights. Shortly before midnight, Meridian Police Officer Andrew Herscowitz attempted to stop Ruben Garcia after observing his Nissan Altima being driven erratically without headlights near Meridian Road and East Central Drive. Garcia continued driving away at high speed, and Meridian police pursued him south toward Kuna.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 07/31/2022, 34-year-old Ruben Garcia of Rigby was killed when his Nissan Altima crossed into opposing traffic and struck a pickup truck head-on during a police pursuit on Highway 69 in Kuna. The uninvolved pickup driver, 28-year-old Jonathan R. Calderon of Boise, was also killed.
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The encounter began when Meridian Police Officer Andrew Herscowitz attempted to stop Garcia near Meridian Road and East Central Drive after observing the Nissan being driven erratically without its headlights illuminated. According to police, Garcia continued away at high speed, drove the wrong way on Main Street and then traveled south on Meridian Road toward Kuna.
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Meridian police pursued Garcia south but discontinued their pursuit after he crossed Lake Hazel Road into Kuna's jurisdiction. Meridian police notified Kuna Police that Garcia was continuing south toward them.
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Ada County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Bilton, assigned to Kuna Police, was positioned near Columbia Road when Garcia's Nissan passed him traveling south at high speed without headlights. Bilton activated his emergency equipment, attempted to stop Garcia and pursued him south on Highway 69. The subsequent Critical Incident Task Force investigation identified Bilton by full name.
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Another Ada County deputy, identified in the investigative file as Deputy Nydeggar, positioned ahead of the pursuit near Deer Flat Road and deployed spike strips across Meridian Road/Highway 69. Garcia maneuvered around the spike strips and continued south. The strips did not disable the Nissan.
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The official crash reconstruction determined that Garcia was traveling in excess of 100 mph as he continued south on Highway 69 without headlights. As he entered the large curve where Highway 69 becomes East Avalon Street, the Nissan entered a critical-speed yaw. Investigators calculated its speed at approximately 89–91 mph during the yaw.
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Garcia's Nissan crossed into the northbound lane occupied by Calderon's Chevrolet Silverado. Investigators determined that Calderon was legally traveling in his own lane when Garcia's Nissan struck the pickup head-on. The Nissan's calculated impact speed was approximately 84–92 mph.
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Garcia died from his injuries at the crash scene. Calderon was critically injured, transported to a hospital and subsequently pronounced dead. Calderon had no involvement in the attempted traffic stop or police pursuit.
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Police did not use a PIT/TVI maneuver or intentionally strike Garcia's Nissan. Officers did deploy spike strips, but Garcia drove around them. The first Meridian police pursuit had been discontinued before Bilton encountered Garcia and initiated the second pursuit in Kuna.
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Investigators recovered seven empty 24-ounce Budweiser cans from the front passenger floorboard of Garcia's Nissan. Postmortem toxicology measured Garcia's blood-alcohol concentration at .214. This evidence was developed after the crash and was not the original reason Officer Herscowitz attempted the traffic stop; the initiating reason was Garcia's alleged erratic driving without headlights.
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Garcia was born on 02/20/1988 in Van Nuys, California, to Max and Elena Castaneda Garcia and grew up in Rigby, Idaho. He attended Jefferson High School and worked in the oil fields and masonry trades and for Amalgamated Sugar Company. He was married to Sara Garcia and was the father of a daughter, Leticia. His obituary described fishing, camping, hunting, swimming and music among his interests and said spending time with his family, particularly his daughter, was especially important to him.
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The Ada County Critical Incident Task Force investigated the fatal pursuit and collision, with the Boise Police Department serving as the lead investigative agency. The investigation included officer interviews, vehicle evidence, roadway evidence, airbag-control-module data, toxicology and crash reconstruction.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Meridian Police Officer Andrew Herscowitz attempted the initial traffic stop and participated in the first pursuit. Ada County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Bilton initiated the second pursuit after Garcia entered the Kuna area. Deputy Nydeggar deployed the spike strips Garcia drove around.
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Public records also show that Herscowitz has subsequently been named as a defendant in federal civil-rights litigation concerning unrelated Meridian police encounters. In Wilkins v. City of Meridian, a plaintiff alleged unlawful detention, arrest and search arising from a September 2022 encounter involving Herscowitz and other Meridian officers. Those allegations are civil claims and are not findings that Herscowitz committed misconduct. A related federal action was filed again in March 2026 and remains litigation rather than an adjudicated finding of officer wrongdoing.
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DISPOSITION:
The fatal pursuit and collision were investigated by the Ada County Critical Incident Task Force with Boise Police as the lead agency. No criminal charges against the involved law-enforcement officers resulted from Garcia's death.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/local-kuna-police-pursuit-fatal-crash/277-2f2b5c2c-7e12-4c5b-92ff-2f5d76c6a3f0
https://apps.adacounty.id.gov/sheriff/CITF/Garcia-CITF.pdf
https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/2-idaho-men-dead-after-high-speed-chase-car-crash-in-kuna/article_16118ca4-3397-5206-9537-f8a17d292f13.html
https://newsradio1310.com/fatal-pursuit-kuna/
https://www.eckersellfuneralhome.com/obituaries/ruben-garcia
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/idaho/iddce/1%3A2026cv00171/59367