A truck driver has been charged in connection with the death of Pennsylvania State Police trooper Michael E. Pahira Jr., who was conducting a vehicle inspection on Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when a semi-truck, driven by 33-year-old Michael Bon, left the roadway and struck Pahira's patrol vehicle and the truck he was inspecting. Pahira later died at a local hospital.
Bon, a Haitian national residing in Brockton, Massachusetts, faces multiple charges including homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter. He is currently held in Schuylkill County Prison on $700,000 bail, with a court date set for July 15. The Department of Homeland Security has issued an immigration detainer against him.
Bon entered the U.S. in July 2024 under a humanitarian parole program but later had his application for Temporary Protected Status denied. Despite being ordered to leave the country in June 2025, he remained in the U.S. He obtained a non-domiciled commercial driver's license in March 2025, which was renewed in February 2026.
The incident has raised concerns about the licensing of noncitizen commercial truck drivers, prompting Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to prioritize tightening regulations. Duffy has initiated audits of states issuing non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses following a series of fatal crashes involving such drivers.
Pahira, who joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 2007, was remembered by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as a dedicated individual who had moved home to assist his mother during her cancer treatment.