Pennsylvania State Trooper Killed in I-81 Crash Involving Massachusetts CDL Holder

m. on July 1, 2026, when a second tractor-trailer left the roadway. The second vehicle struck Pahira's patrol unit mirror, then hit the rear of the stopped tractor-trailer before striking the trooper. Both commercial vehicles caught fire after the impact.

Construction workers pulled Pahira from beneath the vehicle and moved him about 30 yards from the wreckage. He was pronounced dead later that morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill in Pottsville.

Driver's immigration and licensing history The Department of Homeland Security told the Herald that the driver, Michael Bon, 33, of Brockton, Massachusetts, is a Haitian national who entered the United States as a parolee in July 2024. Bon applied for Temporary Protected Status in October 2024; the application was never granted.

USCIS terminated Bon's parole in June 2025 and issued a notice to depart. Bon remained in the country and obtained a Massachusetts commercial driver's license. Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles officials stated that Bon's work eligibility appeared in the federal SAVE database when he applied for and renewed the license in 2025 and 2026.

The state implemented the federal rule change on non-domiciled CDLs after Bon's February 2026 renewal.

incident On July 3, 2026, Massachusetts State Police arrested 74-year-old Armando Rogelio Deleon after a pursuit on the Bourne Bridge. Deleon is also identified in court records as present in the United States without legal status. State police said Deleon nearly struck a patient and first responders, struck two troopers, and continued driving before being stopped.