Aspiring NYPD Officer Killed in Crash with Twice-Removed Immigrant

A 21-year-old aspiring NYPD officer and college hockey captain was killed in a wrong-way crash involving an individual who had been removed from the United States multiple times, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.

Ryan O’Shea, a senior at the University of New Haven, was traveling south on Interstate 91 in North Haven on Oct. 16 when his vehicle was struck head-on by a Chevrolet Silverado. The Silverado was traveling in the wrong direction, according to Connecticut State Police. The impact caused O’Shea’s car to be pushed into another lane, where it was hit by a Jeep before coming to rest on the right shoulder, where a third vehicle also collided with it.

O’Shea sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Silverado, 31-year-old Guillermo Carmona-Lopez of Bridgeport, was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Three other individuals involved in the multi-vehicle collision sustained minor injuries.

DHS stated that Carmona-Lopez, a citizen of Mexico, had entered the U.S. illegally on multiple occasions, despite having previously received an order of removal. According to DHS records, Border Patrol apprehended Carmona-Lopez in May 2013 for illegally entering the country and he was subsequently expedited and removed. He is reported to have re-entered the U.S. near the Rio Grande Valley and was again arrested by Border Patrol later that same month. A final order of removal was issued to Carmona-Lopez on May 30, 2013.

O’Shea, a resident of Stony Point, New York, was pursuing a degree in criminal justice with a concentration in police science at the University of New Haven. He served as the senior captain for the university’s men’s club hockey team and had completed an internship with the New York City Police Department over the summer. His ambition was to join the NYPD after graduation, with aspirations to eventually work for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Lorenzo Boyd, O’Shea’s academic advisor, remembered him as someone who “wanted to go into public service in order to help others” and described him as an engaging student who will be greatly missed. The general manager of the men’s ice hockey club, Devin Bertrand, recalled O’Shea’s “infectious personality” that “lit up our locker room the moment he walked in.” O’Shea was also president of his Kappa Sigma fraternity chapter. The fraternity noted in a social media tribute that he was returning from a hockey game when the crash occurred, describing him as a “great leader” and a “caring friend” who consistently uplifted those around him.

The State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad is continuing its investigation into the incident. A DHS spokesperson commented on the case, stating, “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”