Two people were killed and three others were seriously injured near Ocean Springs.
OCEAN SPRINGS, MS — A driver whose dashcam recorded a fiery wreck involving a private prisoner transport van on Interstate 10 says the impact sounded “horrible” as the van cut across lanes, slammed into another vehicle and burst into flames in Jackson County.
The crash, reported around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, left the van’s driver and an inmate dead, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. It also seriously injured another employee and another inmate in the transport van, as well as the driver of the other vehicle. Investigators have not released a cause, and the highway patrol said the case remains under investigation.
Charlie King said he was driving west on I-10, heading toward Baton Rouge to visit family, when he saw the transport van move across multiple lanes behind a utility vehicle. In his dashcam video, the van strikes the other vehicle and then veers off the roadway, where it hits a metal support and overturns. “It was horrible. The sound was horrible,” King said in an interview. “When I saw it hit that upright pole and heard the loud sound, I knew it had to be bad because the vehicle disintegrated.”
King said he pulled over and ran toward the crash scene, expecting to help. He said the fire grew quickly after the van overturned. “I didn’t know it was that bad until I got out of my truck and ran back there,” King said. He returned to his vehicle to grab a fire extinguisher, but he said the flames spread so fast that he could not put them out. Behind him, dark smoke rose over the interstate as first responders arrived, and traffic backed up for hours in the westbound lanes near the Ocean Springs exit.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol said the crash happened in westbound lanes near the 50-mile marker, just before the ramp to Mississippi Highway 609 at Ocean Springs Exit 50. Troopers said a Ford prisoner transport van collided with a 2005 Ford E-350 utility van that was also traveling west. After the collision, the prisoner transport van left the roadway, overturned and caught fire, the highway patrol said.
Troopers identified the people killed as 32-year-old Michael Valera, the driver of the prisoner transport van, and 34-year-old William Rodman, an inmate who was being transported. The highway patrol said another employee of the transport company and another inmate were seriously injured and were airlifted to an out-of-state hospital for treatment. The driver of the other vehicle, who the highway patrol said was from Gautier, was also seriously injured and taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
As investigators worked the scene, details emerged about the van’s trip and the challenges responders faced. Authorities said prisoners inside the van were handcuffed with waist chains and shackles and were housed in a closed compartment in the back. Officials said those restraints complicated rescue efforts, requiring crews to cut into the van to reach the people trapped inside.
According to information provided to investigators, the transport van was operated by St. Joseph Services, a private prisoner transport company involved in interstate extradition transfers. A company representative, Tony Seitz, said the transport began Tuesday night in Florida. Seitz said two prisoners were picked up from Brevard County and Columbia County in Florida and were headed to Ocean City, New Jersey, and Spaulding, Georgia. He said the van was also traveling to Mississippi to pick up an inmate from the Harrison County Adult Detention Center, with that inmate also destined for Spaulding.
Seitz said the two inmates already inside the van were considered low risk and non-combative. He described the officer who died as a husband and father and said the company expected to issue a statement after families were notified. Investigators have not said whether seat belts were used in the vehicle or whether any mechanical issues played a role. King, a retired mechanic, said he noticed the van appeared to be putting out an unusual amount of exhaust before the collision and wondered if there was an engine problem, but officials have not confirmed that.
The response involved multiple agencies, including the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Fire, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and the D’Iberville Police Department. The highway patrol said its Commercial Transportation Enforcement Division also responded. Officials conducted crash reconstruction work and continued documenting damage to the vehicles and the roadside structure the transport van hit after leaving the roadway.
By late Thursday and Friday, attention shifted from the initial wreck to the investigation and the victims’ identities. The highway patrol confirmed Valera and Rodman’s names and ages and said the injured survivors remained in serious condition. Authorities have not released information about the charges or cases tied to the inmates being transported, and they have not described whether a criminal investigation is expected beyond the traffic investigation.
For King, the video replayed a moment he said he will not forget. He said his military background shaped his reaction, pushing him to stop instead of driving past. He described realizing only later that the van carried prisoners. “They got on handcuffs,” King said. “I didn’t register it at the time but I found out later after reading the story they were prisoners inside of the van.”
Investigators have not released a timeline for completing the reconstruction report or announcing findings. The Mississippi Highway Patrol said the crash remains under investigation, and no official cause has been made public. The next major milestone is the release of the highway patrol’s investigative findings, along with any citations or other actions that may follow.
Author note: Last updated February 21, 2026.