SALISBURY TWP., Pa. – The procession honoring a fallen Pennsylvania State Trooper concluded in the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.
In a news conference, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Trooper Michael Pahira died after being hit by a commercial vehicle Wednesday morning along Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County.
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‘The man died a hero’: Pa. State Police Trooper dies after being hit by commercial vehicle along I-81
Many state troopers and first responders from the region gathered at Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest during the procession.
“He was a good man, and he was a good cop, and he was taken from us far too soon,” said Shapiro.
Hearts are heavy as the community mourns the loss of the two-decade state trooper.
Shapiro said Pahira was one of the state’s finest public servants.
“His buddies said that he always wanted to be a cop, that’s how they thought of themselves in high school,” said Shapiro.
Funny, devoted and career driven: Pahira was a loving and kind brother, uncle and son with a mission to keep the community safe.
Shapiro said Pahira recently moved back home with his mother, supporting her in her fight against cancer.
“Just in the last few days, helped her shave her head as she is going through her treatments,” Shapiro said.
Family and friends said he loved working on cars and watching documentaries, also spending time in the kitchen cooking and in the arena wrestling.
He was a star wrestler at North Schuylkill High School and carried that passion into college at East Stroudsburg University.
Shapiro said he met with Pahira’s family and friends and asks everyone to say a prayer for his loved ones and the entire State Police Troop L family.
“I said to his mom, and his dad, and his sister, ‘we will be there for you now, and we will be there for you every day into the future, whether that’s a month from now, a year from now, a decade from now,'” said Shapiro.
There is no word on funeral plans.
Family and friends said they will remember Pahira as a kind soul.