I’LL SEND IT BACK TO YOU NOW. NOTHING IS GUARANTEED IN LIFE. TOMORROWS ARE NOT GUARANTEED. OUR FAMILY HAS LEARNED THAT LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS SHARING THEIR MESSAGE OF HOPE AND HEALING AS THEY HONOR THE LATE STATE TROOPER MICHAEL BARRERA JR. HE WAS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY LAST WEEK DURING A TRAFFIC STOP ON I-81. THE SERVICE THIS MORNING WAS HELD AT THE NORTH SCHUYLKILL JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH AND FRIENDS AND FAMILY. THEY REMEMBERED HIM AS A TOUGH GUY WITH A SOFT HEART. THEY ALSO TALKED ABOUT WHO HE WAS OUTSIDE OF THE UNIFORM AND HOW NOTHING WAS TOO MUCH FOR MIKE. MIKE WAS BIG IN MANY WAYS. HE WAS BIG WITH HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THERE WAS NOTHING HE WOULDN’T DO. AND QUITE HONESTLY, I DON’T THINK THERE’S ANYTHING HE COULD DO. COULDN’T DO. I SEEN HIM LIFT, MOVE, CARRY, SHOVE THINGS AROUND THAT SHOULD HAVE REQUIRED A FORKLIFT, BUT NOT FOR MIKE. LET US HONOR MIKEY’S MEMORY. LET US CHANNEL THE ANGER AND THE SORROW THAT WE FEEL TODAY INTO LASTING SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO MIKE HAS LEFT BEHIND. AND GOING BACK TO THAT INCIDENT. A TRACTOR TRAILER DRIVER HIT WHILE HE WAS CONDUCTING A SAFETY INSPECTION ON I-81. THE DRIVER, 33 YEAR OLD MICHAEL BOND, IS CHARGED WITH HOMICIDE. THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Pennsylvania community remembers state trooper killed during traffic stop
Updated: 4:24 PM EDT Jul 8, 2026
Family, friends, and loved ones gathered this morning at North Schuylkill Junior Senior High School to honor Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira Jr., who was killed in the line of duty last week during a traffic stop on I-81 in Schuylkill County. “Nothing is guaranteed in life. Tomorrows are not guaranteed. Our family has learned that,” Pahira’s uncle Bill McHale said. Pahira was remembered as a “tough guy with a soft heart,” with loved ones sharing stories about his life outside of his uniform and his willingness to help others. “Mike was big in many ways. He was big with his family and friends. There was nothing he wouldn’t do and, quite honestly, other than he could do, couldn’t do. I’ve seen him lift, move, carry up things around. That should have required a forklift, but not for Mike,” McHale said. Gov. Josh Shapiro encouraged the community to honor Pahira’s legacy. “Let us honor Mikey’s memory. Let us channel the anger and the sorrow that we feel today into lasting support for those who Mike has left behind,” he said. Authorities said Pahira was struck by a tractor-trailer while conducting a safety inspection on I-81. The driver, 33-year-old Michael Bon, has been charged with homicide. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Bon has been in the U.S. illegally from Haiti since last summer.
Family, friends, and loved ones gathered this morning at North Schuylkill Junior Senior High School to honor Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira Jr., who was killed in the line of duty last week during a traffic stop on I-81 in Schuylkill County.
“Nothing is guaranteed in life. Tomorrows are not guaranteed. Our family has learned that,” Pahira’s uncle Bill McHale said.
Pahira was remembered as a “tough guy with a soft heart,” with loved ones sharing stories about his life outside of his uniform and his willingness to help others.
“Mike was big in many ways. He was big with his family and friends. There was nothing he wouldn’t do and, quite honestly, other than he could do, couldn’t do. I’ve seen him lift, move, carry up things around. That should have required a forklift, but not for Mike,” McHale said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro encouraged the community to honor Pahira’s legacy. “Let us honor Mikey’s memory. Let us channel the anger and the sorrow that we feel today into lasting support for those who Mike has left behind,” he said.
Authorities said Pahira was struck by a tractor-trailer while conducting a safety inspection on I-81. The driver, 33-year-old Michael Bon, has been charged with homicide.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Bon has been in the U.S. illegally from Haiti since last summer.