Father Charged with Vehicular Manslaughter in Son's Tragic Flood Death

In a tragic incident that occurred last month, a 2-year-old boy named Xavier was fatally swept away in California floodwaters. Now, the boy's father, Brandon Aguilera-Padilla, has been charged in connection with his son's death.

On October 17, 2025, Aguilera-Padilla was arrested at his home in Barstow, California, without incident. The Barstow Police Department had previously booked him on a murder charge, but this was later dropped during his arraignment on October 21, 2025.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office is now pursuing two lesser charges against Aguilera-Padilla: vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and child abuse/endangerment under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. The latter charge includes a special allegation of willful harm or injury resulting in death.

Aguilera-Padilla has pleaded not guilty to both charges, and his bail has been set at $200,000. His pre-preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 27, 2025, with the preliminary hearing set to take place the following day.

While the district attorney's office did not release any information about the evidence connecting Aguilera-Padilla to the crime, the Barstow Police Department stated that detectives spoke with witnesses and gathered evidence during a month-long investigation, leading to the arrest warrant.