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Undocumented immigrant arrested in Florida death of co-worker, deputies say

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Published  June 5, 2025 9:08am EDT
Immigration
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • An undocumented immigrant was recently arrested for allegedly causing the death of his co-worker at a construction site in Florida.
    • Deputies responded on Wednesday to reports of an industrial accident at a construction site, where they then found a man dead near the front-end loading bucket of a tractor.
    • Angel Bautista Martinez, 29, is being charged with second-degree manslaughter, but officials said they will be seeking to upgrade the charge to a first-degree felony due to the man's immigration status.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - An undocumented immigrant was recently arrested for causing the death of his coworker at a construction site in Florida, deputies say.

What happened?

What we know:

Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office said they responded to reports of an industrial accident at a construction site on Wednesday at the Grand Pointe Apartments located on Founders Way in Davenport.

When they arrived at the scene, officials said they found a man dead near the front-end loading bucket of a tractor. The man was later identified as Jose Lopez.

What they're saying:

Investigators spoke with a co-worker of Lopez, 29-year-old Angel Bautista Martinez. Martinez said Lopez was on the tractor and leaning into the cab, underneath the loading bucket, messing with the controls, but he was not seated. Martinez said Lopez's head was then caught between the frame of the tractor and the bucket, causing an immediate deadly impact.

Martinez said he was standing several feet away from Lopez when the incident happened and that he never touched him. However, detectives saw blood on Martinez's pants and no footprints near the area. When asked about the blood, officials said Martinez asked for an attorney. 

Investigators spoke with another co-worker of the men who was at the scene when the incident occurred. The man said he saw the tractor being operated by someone, but he did not know who. He said he saw Lopez standing on the front of the tractor, and did not see Martinez, which caused him to believe Martinez was the person in the tractor. The co-worker said Martinez had been the operator for the tractor on the job site, and no one else was there.

Angel Bautista Martinez, 29, is facing manslaughter charges after allegedly causing the death of his co-worker at a construction site yesterday in Davenport. (Credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office)

What's next:

Deputies have arrested Martinez for allegedly causing the death of his co-worker at the construction site.

Martinez is being charged with manslaughter, which is normally a second-degree felony, but officials said they will be submitting paperwork Thursday to have the charge upgraded to a first-degree felony due to his immigration status.

Martinez is expected to have a first appearance hearing later today. 

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold is currently in effect for Martinez at the Polk County Jail.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Polk County Sheriff's Office in an email and an arrest affidavit on June 5, 2025.

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