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The affidavit of probable cause, filed in Schuylkill County Court against 33-year-old Michael Bon of Brockton, Massachusetts, outlines the sequence of events surrounding the fatal crash that occurred Wednesday morning along Interstate 81 in Butler Township.
According to investigators, Pahira, a 20-year veteran assigned to the Pennsylvania State Police's Frackville station, was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection through the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program on the southbound shoulder of Interstate 81 near mile marker 119.
Police said Pahira had parked his marked Ford F-350 patrol vehicle completely on the shoulder behind a tractor-trailer that was being inspected. The truck's driver, Walter Alfredo Reinoso of Queens, New York, was assisting the inspection by applying the vehicle's brakes while Pahira examined the braking system.
Investigators allege Bon was operating a 2019 Freightliner tractor-trailer southbound when his vehicle drifted out of the travel lane and onto the shoulder.
According to the affidavit, Bon's truck first struck the driver's-side mirror of Pahira's patrol vehicle before crashing into the rear of the parked tractor-trailer.
Pahira, who was standing alongside the cab of the inspected truck, became pinned beneath the front bumper of Bon's tractor-trailer. Moments later, the striking vehicle caught fire.
Court documents describe the desperate rescue efforts that immediately followed.
Construction workers from a nearby Interstate 81 work zone noticed a large plume of black smoke and rushed toward the crash scene. One worker told investigators he found a Pennsylvania State Police trooper trapped beneath one of the tractor-trailers. He and two co-workers immediately began trying to free him.
As they worked, another individual who was speaking with a 911 dispatcher warned them to back away because the intense fire had caused the trucks' tires to begin exploding.
Despite the danger posed by the flames and exploding tires, the workers continued their efforts.
The affidavit states the men were eventually able to drag Pahira approximately 30 yards away from the burning vehicles before troopers from the Frackville station took over lifesaving measures.
Another witness, an XPO Logistics tractor-trailer driver who was traveling south on Interstate 81, also stopped after seeing the explosion and fire. According to investigators, he called 911 and attempted to reach Pahira beneath the burning truck but was forced to retreat because of the intense flames. He later observed the construction workers carrying the trooper to a grassy area away from the fire.
Reinoso, whose truck was being inspected, told investigators he briefly lost consciousness during the collision. After regaining consciousness and climbing from his damaged truck, he witnessed construction workers removing Pahira from beneath the wreckage.
Investigators said Reinoso also turned over dash camera footage that captured Pahira walking in front of the truck moments before the crash and recorded the collision itself.
Pahira was transported by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital-East, where he was pronounced dead at 11:45 a.m.
The affidavit states investigators found no roadway defects or adverse weather conditions that contributed to the crash. The section of Interstate 81 where the collision occurred was straight, and both Pahira's patrol vehicle and the tractor-trailer being inspected were positioned completely off the travel lanes on the shoulder.
Based on the investigation, police concluded Bon's tractor-trailer left the roadway before striking the parked vehicles.
Bon has been charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving, careless driving resulting in an unintentional death, and multiple traffic violations.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 16.