A Pennsylvania State Trooper was killed when a tractor-trailer veered off Interstate 81 and struck him while he was conducting a vehicle inspection on Wednesday morning. The driver of the striking vehicle has been identified as Michael Bon, a Haitian national who had entered the U.S. as a parolee in July 2024.
Trooper Michael E. Pahira Jr., 44, was on the shoulder of I-81 in Schuylkill County around 7 a.m. when the incident occurred. His patrol car was parked behind a semitruck with emergency lights activated as he performed an inspection. A second truck then left the roadway, striking Pahira’s vehicle and then the truck being inspected, triggering a chain reaction and a fire.
Nearby construction workers attempted to assist the pinned trooper. Pahira was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Bon sustained injuries and was also taken to a hospital.
Bon had filed for Temporary Protected Status in October 2024, but his application was denied. The Department of Homeland Security terminated his parole in June 2025 and issued a notice to leave the country, which he reportedly did not obey. He had been residing in Brockton, Massachusetts.
While in Massachusetts, Bon obtained a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license (CDL) and began operating tractor-trailers. He first applied for the CDL in March 2025, when he was still permitted to work in the U.S. under federal law, according to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. The license was renewed in February 2026, prior to a directive from the Trump administration in March 2026 that advised states against renewing or issuing new non-domiciled CDLs.
Bon has since been arrested and faces charges including homicide by vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless driving. He was arraigned and held on $700,000 bail, and a DHS immigration detainer has been placed on him.
Trooper Pahira joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 2007. Governor Josh Shapiro remembered Pahira as a dedicated public servant who was also caring for his mother as she underwent cancer treatment. Shapiro expressed condolences to Pahira's family, friends, and fellow troopers.