Overview
- A chain‑reaction crash on Interstate 81 on Wednesday struck a parked truck being inspected and killed Trooper Michael Pahira Jr., 44, as a second tractor‑trailer veered off the shoulder and hit the scene.
- Thirty‑three‑year‑old Michael Bon was injured, taken to a hospital, arrested and charged with homicide by vehicle and related counts; he was arraigned with reported $700,000 bail and a DHS immigration detainer was lodged.
- The Department of Homeland Security and USCIS say Bon entered the United States as a parolee from Haiti in 2024, filed for Temporary Protected Status that was not granted, had parole terminated in 2025 and refused a notice to depart.
- Massachusetts officials say Bon obtained a non‑domiciled commercial driver’s license after federal SAVE records listed him as eligible when he applied in March 2025 and again for a February 2026 renewal, a process now under scrutiny following a March 2026 federal directive limiting such licenses.
- Investigators continue to probe why Bon’s truck left the roadway while communities and officials mourn Pahira and call for review of the federal‑state systems that cleared the driver to work and hold a CDL.