Smuggler Sentenced for Otay Mesa crash that killed two migrants
By: | Published: 2025-07-04 06:34:00 | Source: timesofsandiego.com
A Chula Vista man who crashed while fleeing Border Patrol officers, killing two undocumented passengers, 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…
