Former Braves Minor Leaguer Faces Additional Charges in Fatal I-75 Crash Case

A former Atlanta Braves minor league player charged in connection with a fatal crash on Interstate 75 in Manatee County is now facing additional criminal charges, according to court records.

Jonathan Matos Morales was originally charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash involving death following an April 20 collision on southbound I-75 near State Road 64.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Morales was driving a Ford Mustang when it collided with an SUV. The impact pushed the SUV into a tractor-trailer, causing the truck to overturn. The truck driver was killed in the crash.

Prosecutors filed additional charges against Morales on May 26, including tampering with evidence and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage.

Investigators said Morales left the scene after the crash. Authorities later located the Mustang in the parking lot of CoolToday Park in North Port, where Morales had been training with the Atlanta Braves organization. The Braves have since released him.

According to the arrest report, Morales told investigators he panicked after witnessing the tractor-trailer overturn. Authorities also said he acknowledged knowing that video of the crash had been circulating on social media and that the truck driver had died, but he did not contact law enforcement.

Morales has pleaded not guilty to the charges and requested a jury trial.

Court records show a case management hearing is scheduled for July 23. A trial date has not yet been set.

Morales remains free on bond while the case proceeds through the court system.