The driver of the tractor-trailer that claimed the lives of 10 illegal immigrants in sweltering heat has spoken for the first time since his arrest

Inform/screenshot

The mass casualty incident that took place in a Walmart parking lot in San Antonio, Texas, brought about by a “human-trafficking crime,” has officially claimed the life of a tenth person.

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The one man under arrest was behind the wheel of truck, driver James Matthew Bradley Jr.​,​ 60, of Clearwater, F​la. He now faces federal charges of transporting immigrants for “commercial advantage or private financial gain,” according to the New York Post.

Bradley Jr. has spoken for the first time since his arrest. He chillingly described the bodies in his trailer as “just lying on the floor like meat.”

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He was told by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney that he could face the death penalty. Investigators say Bradley admitted that he knew the air-conditioning didn’t work, that the ventilation holes were likely clogged and that he knew several people had already died and did not call 911.

Yet, the complaint says, Bradley responded to banging on the walls of the truck and was “surprised when he was run over by ‘Spanish’ people and knocked to the ground.”

The conditions in the truck were reportedly so dire that the people inside fighting for their lives had to take turns breathing air through a hole.

Authorities learned Sunday that more than 100 people had been packed into the semi-trailer with no air-conditioning or water, and that eight of them had already died.

Thirty-nine were inside when rescuers arrived, many were rushed to the hospital, some were dead, and the rest were believed to have escaped or hitched rides.

Others are still hospitalized in critical condition. Seventeen were taken from the scene in critical condition, while 13 more had non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The causes of deaths that have been given are asphyxiation, heat stroke and dehydration.

Police are calling that this is a “human-trafficking crime” and “a horrific tragedy.”

KENS5 reported that the truck was carrying undocumented immigrants, who were in the trailer without air-conditioning or water and in 100-degree heat.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is involved in the investigation.

The victims “were very hot to the touch. So these people were in this trailer without any signs of any type of water,” San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said.

It was a Walmart employee’s encounter with the driver of the truck that caused him to notify the police for a welfare check. What police found when they got there was a dire scene that they said was treated as if a plane had gone down.

Investigators have checked store surveillance video, and it showed vehicles arriving and picking up people from the truck.

RELATED: Texas police have found multiple people dead in a semi-trailer parked at Walmart and many more in danger

U.S. Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr. said Sunday that “ruthless human smugglers” were to blame.

“All were victims of ruthless human smugglers indifferent to the well-being of their fragile cargo,” he said. “The South Texas heat is punishing this time of year. These people were helpless in the hands of their transporters. Imagine their suffering, trapped in a stifling trailer in 100-plus degree heat.”

ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan pledged to “put an end to these practices.”

“By any standard, the horrific crime uncovered last night ranks as a stark reminder of why human smuggling networks must be pursued, caught and punished,” he said. “These networks have repeatedly shown a reckless disregard for those they smuggle.”

“So long as I lead ICE, there will be an unwavering commitment to use law enforcement assets to put an end to these practices,” he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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