Feds say truck driver charged in death of PA trooper was illegally present in US, held Massachusetts CDL

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement on the truck driver involved in a high-profile crash that killed a Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) trooper performing a roadside inspection last week.

On July 6, 2026, DHS said that truck driver Michael Bon is a resident of Haiti present in the U.S. illegally and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for him the day after his arrest.

Bon was involved in a crash that occurred on July 1, 2026, in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. PSP Trooper Michael E. Pahira, Jr., 44, was performing a commercial vehicle inspection along I-81 when he was struck by a semi truck driven by Bon. The truck under inspection was also struck, and both vehicles caught fire.

Trooper Pahira was transported to a hospital, but did not survive.

The driver of the inspected commercial truck was also hospitalized with injuries.

Bon was later arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter.

DHS alleges that Bon was issued a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) by the state of Massachusetts.

The agency also said that Bon applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in October 2024 but that it was never granted.

“This Haitian illegal alien was RELEASED into our country by the Biden Administration, and the sanctuary state of Massachusetts gave him a Commercial Driver’s License,” said DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “Now, because of these reckless policies, a Pennsylvania State Trooper is dead after a crash that was 100% preventable. Illegal aliens should not be driving trucks on America’s highways. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and the Pennsylvania State Police as they mourn this loss.”

Federal authorities have increasingly scrutinized states over the improper issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in the wake of a string of high-profile fatal crashes, including a triple fatality collision that occurred on the Florida Turnpike in August 2025.