Man Sentenced For Otay Mesa Crash That Killed 2 Migrants

SAN DIEGO, CA — A Chula Vista man who was transporting two undocumented migrants in a car he crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol officers, causing both passengers' deaths, was sentenced Wednesday to nearly six years in federal prison.

Sergio Josue Palomera, 23, fled from Border Patrol last Oct. 22 after he was spotted loading the migrants into his car near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In court documents, prosecutors wrote that a Border Patrol agent attempted to pull Palomera's car over on state Route 905 in Otay Mesa that afternoon.

The car initially slowed down and exited the freeway -- which prosecutors described as a "ruse" to put distance between Palomera's vehicle and the agent's -- then sped away through a red light at the off-ramp intersection and got back onto state Route 905.

Data pulled from the car's airbag sensor later revealed the car reached speeds of over 110 mph, according to prosecutors.

The Border Patrol agent drove back onto the freeway, but terminated the pursuit after losing sight of Palomera's car.

About 30 seconds after re-entering the freeway, Palomera lost control of the car and it rolled over in the westbound lanes of state Route 905.

One of the migrants, a 26-year-old woman, was ejected from the car and died at the scene. The other migrant, a 23-year-old man, died at a hospital that night.

Palomera pleaded guilty earlier this year to transportation of certain aliens resulting in death and was sentenced Wednesday to 71 months in prison.

— City News Service