A Pennsylvania State trooper was killed by an illegal immigrant trucker who entered the country under the Biden administration and obtained a commercial driver’s license from Massachusetts while refusing to leave the country.
Trooper Michael E. Pahira, Jr., 44, was inspecting a semitruck on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County at about 7 a.m. Wednesday when another truck went off the roadway and hit the first vehicle, creating a domino effect and striking the officer, state police said.
Pahira’s patrol car was parked behind the cab with its emergency lights on as he inspected the vehicle parked on the right shoulder in Cass Township when the deadly chain reaction occurred, according to officials.
The second truck, allegedly driven by 33-year-old Michael Bon, veered off the road, striking Pahira’s side mirror before crashing into the other truck.
Both truck cabs caught fire as a result of the impact.
Construction workers nearby saw the smoke from the wreck and raced to help the pinned trooper.
Pahira was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
Bon, a native of Haiti, had entered the US through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in July 2024 as a US Customs and Border Protection parolee, according to CBS 21.
He filed for Temporary Protected Status with US Customs and Immigration Services in October 2024, but his application was denied.
The Department of Homeland Security terminated his parole in June 2025. and issued a notice for him to leave the country, an order he didn’t obey and remained in the US, living in Brockton, Mass., the outlet reported.
During his time in the Bay State, Bon obtained a non-domiciled CDL from Massachusetts and began driving tractor-trailers.
He first applied for the special license in March 2025, when he was still eligible to work in the US under federal law, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles told CBS 21.
The license was renewed in February 2026, a month before the Trump administration directed states not to renew or issue new non-domiciled CDLs.
“Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira Jr.’s death is a horrific and terrible tragedy. We mourn him and our thoughts are with his loved ones and fellow troopers,” an RMV spokesperson said.
This defendant should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses program is a federal program. This individual was ruled eligible based on the Trump administration database and allowed to drive by federal law and Trump administration policies.”
Bon was injured in the crash and transported to a hospital.
He has since been arrested and charged with homicide by vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving.
He was arraigned on a $700,000 bail, and a DHS immigration detainer was lodged against him.
Pahira, a 2007 enlistee with the Pennsylvania State Police, was remembered as a “good man and a good cop” who had just moved back in with his mom while she battled cancer.
“I spent time with Mike’s parents, Patti and Mike, his sister, Jen, and some of his friends and fellow troopers. They told me about Mike — about how great a man he was, about his high school wrestling record, his love of cooking, and his commitment to caring for his mother as she battles cancer,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
“Just in the last few days, helped her shave her head as she is going through her treatments,” Shapiro said.
“Trooper Pahira was the very best of us — Lori and I are praying for the PA State Police family and our local law enforcement partners after losing another one of their own,” Shapiro said.
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