ThinBlueNews remembers Trooper Michael Pahira of the Pennsylvania State Police, whose End of Watch was Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
The Officer Down Memorial Page records that Trooper Pahira was struck and killed while conducting a commercial vehicle safety inspection on Interstate 81 in Cass Township.
ODMP reports that Trooper Pahira was in the southbound lanes near Exit 119 when a tractor-trailer struck his patrol vehicle and the commercial vehicle he was inspecting. ODMP says he was transported to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries about 90 minutes later.
WJAC reported that Acting State Police Commissioner Lt. Col. George Bivens described Trooper Pahira as an exceptional trooper and motor carrier enforcement officer. Skook News reported that Governor Josh Shapiro identified Pahira as a 20-year Pennsylvania State Police veteran assigned to Troop L in Frackville and ordered Commonwealth flags lowered to half-staff.
ODMP lists Trooper Pahira's service as 20 years with the Pennsylvania State Police and says he was assigned to Frackville. This remembrance is offered with respect for his parents, his sister, his family, his department colleagues, the troopers and first responders who answered that scene, and the Pennsylvania law-enforcement community carrying his memory forward.
Trooper Pahira's End of Watch is a solemn reminder of the danger carried by motor carrier enforcement and roadside safety work, and of a 20-year public servant whose sacrifice should not be forgotten.
Support the organization preserving official memorial records
ThinBlueNews creates original remembrance pages to honor law-enforcement sacrifice. ODMP is the nonprofit maintaining the national officer memorial record and providing support resources connected to fallen officers and their families.
Sources and attribution
- ODMP memorial page: Trooper Michael Pahira
- WJAC: State trooper killed during vehicle inspection on I-81 in Schuylkill County
- Skook News: Governor Shapiro identifies trooper killed in I-81 crash as Trooper Mike Pahira
- ODMP donation page
Featured memorial image: ODMP profile photo of Trooper Michael Pahira with ThinBlueNews memorial overlay and source attribution. ThinBlueNews does not claim ownership of the ODMP source portrait.
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