Border Patrol Agent Fernando Morales.

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

An off-duty Border Patrol agent assigned to the Del Rio Sector was killed in a car crash Monday night in Texas.

Fernando Morales, 51, was driving a 2017 Volkswagen Passat on U.S. 277 near Del Rio when a 2016 Freightliner truck veered into oncoming traffic in a no-passing zone, KRQE reports.

“I am deeply saddened to inform you of the off duty death of Border Patrol Agent Fernando Morales,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin Skero tweeted Wednesday. “He is survived by his wife and four children. On behalf of our sector family, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues as we mourn his passing.”

Morales is a native of El Paso and graduated from Irvin High School.

I am deeply saddened to inform you of the off duty death of Border Patrol Agent Fernando Morales. He is survived by his wife and four children. On behalf of our sector family, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues as we mourn his passing. pic.twitter.com/Hwq7ih5ISj

— Chief Patrol Agent Austin Skero (@USBPChiefDRT) July 8, 2020

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

Some witnesses are contradicting Border Patrol’s claims that its agents stopped chasing a speeding vehicle that crashed and killed seven occupants in downtown El Paso on June 25.

Border Patrol officials said agents called off the pursuit because of the dangerous speed.

But witnesses told The Dallas Morning News that agents were still chasing the 2019 Chevrolet Cruze when it crashed into a parked trailer at 2:15 a.m. Two security guards said they saw the Border Patrol vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed with its headlights on and no sirens.

El Paso police are investigating.

“Was there a chase before the crash? Yes. Did it cause the crash? I don’t know,” Police spokesman Robert Gomez said.

At the time of the crash, 10 people were inside the car. Three were injured and remain in the hospital.

Authorities said the car was involved in human smuggling.

“All preliminary information collected thus far indicates that it was indeed a human smuggling event,” Chief Patrol Agent of the El Paso Sector Gloria Chavez said in a statement.

Border marker at San Ysidro Port of Entry, via Border Patrol.

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

The car crash that killed seven people in downtown El Paso on Thursday was involved in human smuggling.

The car was fleeing Border Patrol agents when it crashed into a trailer at 2:15 a.m.

Among those killed were at least three undocumented immigrants who were being smuggled into the U.S. and four El Paso residents, including the 18-year-old driver The Daily Mail reports.

A Mexican man and two unidentified people also were killed.

Among the injured were Mexico native Omar Garcia Hernandez, 18, Guatemalan national Wilbur Gomez, 25, and an unnamed 16-year-old from Mexico.

“All preliminary information collected thus far indicates that it was indeed a human smuggling event,” Chief Patrol Agent of the El Paso Sector Gloria Chavez said in a statement.

A sensor alerted agents to the four-door sedan in Sunland Park, New Mexico, an area near the border that is know for human smuggling.

The driver fled by accelerating at a high rate of speed. Agents called off the chase because of the dangerous speed.

Soon after, the agents spotted the car, which had crashed into a trailer on private property.

“I cannot stress enough how Transnational Criminal Organizations continue to exploit human beings and manipulate the youth in our communities by recruiting them to be their mules and their smugglers,” Chavez said.

“Human smuggling is as lucrative as drug smuggling, if not more, and our youth are being targeted.”

Photo via Border Patrol

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

A car fleeing the Border Patrol crashed in downtown El Paso on Thursday morning, killing seven people and injuring three others.

The chase began after Border Patrol agents tried to stop a gray Chevrolet Cruze packed with 10 people shortly after 2 a.m. on West Paisano Drive near Union Depot, The El Paso Times reports.

The driver lost control of the car on a curve in the road, crossing a small gravel median, and crashing through a chain-link fence before striking a parked trailer. The car was torn in two.

The El Paso County medical examiner is trying to identify the dead.

“U.S. Border Patrol Agents assigned to the Santa Teresa and El Paso Stations attempted to stop a vehicle,” Border Patrol said in a news release. “The vehicle fled and was subsequently involved in a motor vehicle accident with multiple fatalities.”

The statement added, “At this time, the U.S. Border Patrol is cooperating with the active investigation, which is being led by the El Paso Police Department. The incident is also under review by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility.”

Photo via Border Patrol

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

Three Border Patrol agents have been nominated for coveted awards after saving the life of a passenger in a car that had burst into flames.

Agents F. Gonzales, K. Carrol, and S. Roe were car-pooling home in southern California when they spotted flames from a car that had crashed into a center divider.

While one of the agents called 911, the others broke a car window to pull a passenger to safety. The driver was dead.

Carrol, who is a certified emergency medical technician, treated the passenger while awaiting for medics to arrive. Roe helped occupants of another vehicle involved in the crash.

“I am extremely proud of the heroism displayed by these agents during this catastrophic accident,” Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a news release. “If not for the quick action of these three agents, another life would have almost certainly been lost in this tragic accident.”

Gonzalez and Carrol were nominated for the Newton-Azrak Award, Border Patrol’s highest honor. Roe has been nominated for another notable award, the U.S. Border Patrol Commendation Award.

TSA Agent Kevin Nguyen, via GoFundMe.

By Steve Neavling

ticklethewire.com

A TSA agent at Louis Armstrong International Airpot in Louisiana was killed in a car crash caused by a driver who ran a red light, police said.

The family of 28-year-old Kevin Nguyen is holding a fundraiser to help pay for the costs of a funeral.

Nguyen “was loved by everyone,” the GoFundMe post says. “Anyone that know Kevin know that he is the happiest, nicest guy you would meet.”

The post added, “He would go home everyday after work and tell his mom ‘I Love you Mom and you’re beautiful.’ He will be missed.”

Police said Kenner’s car was “T-boned” when a truck ran a red light at 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Kenner, La., NOLA.com reports.

The driver was taken to the hospital in non-life threatening condition. Police are awaiting toxicology reports to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.

Garrett FitzGerald and his wife Joan.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A Secret Service agent who was paralyzed in a car crash while on duty in New Hampshire in 2015 will join the throngs of runners in the Boston Marathon on Monday.

Agent Garrett FitzGerald will be joined by his supervisor, Don McGrail, who is the assistant to the special agent in charge.

“We were struck head-on by a driver driving the opposite direction who was high on heroin,” FitzGerald told WMUR.com.

FitzGerald and McGail are running under the name, Team Fritz, in hopes of raising $20,000 for Journey Forward, where Fitzgerald spend four days a week for nearly three years in rehabilitation.

As of Monday morning, they have raised $11,662.

“What they do here is nothing short of a miracle,” FitzGerald said.

“Team Fitz is more than just a running club,” McGrail said. “We are there to support the Fitzgerald family, whether that’s a meal train or helping them move in and out of a home — whatever it is. There is a whole group of people there to support the family.”

FitzGerald never gave up, and seven months ago he became a father.

“It’s been wonderful being a dad,” he said. “It’s different. Certainly, nothing can prepare you for that change or the sleepless nights, but it’s good.”

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A wild hog triggered a two-car accident that killed a Border Patrol agent and two other people in Southwest Texas.

A Ford Expedition traveling late Monday on a rural road near Uvalde struck the hog, causing the vehicle to swerve into oncoming traffic and collide head-on with a Mercedes SUV, driven by a 27-year-old Border Patrol agent who was driving home at the end of a shift at the agency’s station in Uvalde, about 11o miles southwest of San Antonio, according to the Associated Press. 

The agent, Antonio Cordova, and the driver of the Expedition, 51-year-old Ruby Garza, were pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the Expedition, 51-year-old Julia Vasquez, died at the hospital.

Both cars erupted in flames.

Feral hogs are a big nuisance in Texas.