In Grand Rapids, Michigan, a fatal car crash occurred over the weekend following an attempted stop by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) disclosed the incident on Tuesday. Neighbors near the crash site informed WOOD that ICE agents were the first responders.
The victim was identified as Mario David Coronado Juarez, a Guatemalan undocumented immigrant residing in Grand Rapids for roughly seven years. According to family members, he died in the crash on September 20, 2026.
GRPD stated that ICE agents tried to halt the vehicle, leading the driver to flee before the crash occurred at approximately 7 a.m. on the given Sunday. A prior GRPD release detailed officers responding to a car crash where the vehicle had collided with a tree and ignited.
About seven o’clock, we hear a ‘boom,’recounted a neighbor to WOOD.It was like a sonic boom. So then I got up [and] looked outside; it was the car smoking, and all the cars parked in both different ways. coming this way and the other way. So at first we thought it was … an undercover chase, but it was not. It was immigration.
The neighbor, who filmed the event near Century SW and McKendrick, described unmarked law enforcement vehicles and individuals in bulletproof attire on site. Right here, see? That’s not a police car,
he noted, highlighting an unmarked tan sedan in his video. That’s immigration right there, too. … There were about seven to nine vehicles unmarked.
Police and fire officials reportedly arrived later, with a fire truck blocking the general view of the scene.
The same neighbor expressed concerns over immigration enforcement practices. We know immigration [is] trying to get everybody out of here and that’s not right,
he shared. Because … [Coronado Juarez] was a construction guy, finishing houses and stuff like that … [ICE] try to treat them like criminals, when they’re not.
Coronado Juarez had left family members, including children, in Guatemala to work in the U.S. and send money home. A friend of the family described him as a good person,
stating, He doesn’t bother people. He just works, goes home. He sends money to his family in Guatemala. His kids.
On Tuesday, a GRPD spokesperson announced the involvement of the Michigan State Police for assistance in the investigation. GRPD’s traffic unit investigators are limited in their ability to gather information from federal agents about events preceding the crash,
they noted. GRPD enlisted help due to the investigation’s complexity, with the Michigan State Police potentially better positioned to analyze the situation and recommend further actions.
Grand Rapids police emphasized that they had no prior knowledge or participation in the incident before being alerted to the crash. The Department of Homeland Security was unavailable for immediate comments to WOOD’s requests.
Katherine Connolly of Nexstar’s WOOD contributed to the report.