Man arrested for allegedly dumping flammable materials inside NW Houston storm drain, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 21-year-old has been arrested for allegedly dumping flammable materials in a storm drain, according to the Houston Police Department.

According to court records, Santiago Arnulfo Hernandez Nieto was told by his employer to take containers to a storage facility in Northwest Houston. Nieto allegedly admitted to investigators that he found a little bit of glue and adhesive remover in a container and dumped it down a storm drain despite knowing the chemicals cannot legally be disposed that way.

Court records say Nieto can be seen on surveillance video lighting the liquids on fire, though Nieto told the investigator a lighter fell out of his pocket setting it on fire, and he did not do it on purpose.

Court records said that the suspect dumped the materials on Aug. 7, 2025, and detectives with the Major Offenders Division and Environmental Investigations Squad arrested Santiago Hernandez Nieto in Northwest Houston on Dec. 26.

ABC13 contacted the DA's office to ask why charges came months after the alleged incident. The DA's office is saying they cannot discuss the details of this case, but did share that more complicated cases can take several months as investigators wade through the evidence.

When Nieto was finally arrested, an unusual request was made. Nieto's public defender is asking the judge to not grant a PR bond as Nieto is on an immigration hold, and if he leaves jail and is taken into ICE custody, it could impact his court proceedings. The magistrate in court agrees, and jail records show Nieto remains behind bars.

Court records say the story drain Nieto dumped the material into connects to local bayous that eventually empties into the Gulf.

Nieto is scheduled to be back in front of a judge in mid-February.

The drain where the items were found was said to flow into White Oak Bayou, which then discharges into Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay, a major Texas waterway.

Nieto is charged with felony water pollution and is currently in custody.

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