Hundreds of law enforcement officers, first responders and community members paid their respects Thursday as fallen Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Michael E. Pahira Jr. was escorted home to Frackville in a solemn procession from the Lehigh Valley.
Following an honor escort from the Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest in Allentown, a convoy of 42 Pennsylvania State Police vehicles accompanied Trooper Pahira on his final journey to the Thomas M. Sullivan Funeral Home in Frackville.
As the procession traveled west along Interstate 78 before making its way north on Route 61 and back into Schuylkill County, firefighters, police officers, EMS personnel and members of other emergency services gathered along overpasses and roadside locations, standing at attention as the convoy passed beneath them.
The tribute continued as the procession entered Frackville, where local fire departments, police agencies, EMS crews, tow companies and borough vehicles lined the streets leading to the funeral home. Side streets were blocked to provide the procession with an uninterrupted route as emergency personnel saluted the fallen trooper's return home.
Many residents also gathered quietly along the route, some holding American flags while others simply stood in silence to honor the 44-year-old trooper whose life ended in the line of duty just one day earlier.
Trooper Pahira, a Schuylkill County native and Motor Carrier Inspector assigned to Pennsylvania State Police Troop L in Frackville, was killed Wednesday morning while conducting a commercial vehicle inspection along Interstate 81 southbound in Cass Township.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, Pahira was standing outside his marked patrol vehicle near the cab of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder when a second tractor-trailer allegedly driven by 33-year-old Michael Bon of Brockton, Massachusetts, left the travel lane. Investigators said the truck struck the side mirror of Pahira's patrol vehicle before crashing into the rear of the commercial vehicle being inspected, forcing it farther off the shoulder and striking Pahira. Both tractor-trailers caught fire following the collision.
Pahira suffered critical injuries and was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the truck being inspected was not injured, while Bon was transported to the hospital for treatment.
Bon has since been charged with multiple offenses, including felony counts of homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault by vehicle. Additional charges include involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving, careless driving resulting in an unintentional death, failure to properly respond in an emergency response area, improper lane usage and related offenses. He remains incarcerated in Schuylkill County Prison after being unable to post $700,000 straight cash bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 16.
Trooper Pahira enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Police in January 2007 and served with Troop L in Frackville as a Motor Carrier Inspector. His death marks the 106th line-of-duty death in the history of the Pennsylvania State Police.