Border Patrol agents responded to a fatal crash involving a motorcycle and a convertible on June 21, 2025, near Benson, Arizona. The incident occurred at approximately 2:12 a.m., about 29 miles north of the United States-Mexico border and 20 miles northeast of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Sonoita Station.
Agents assigned to a checkpoint observed an unknown vehicle traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of State Route 90. Agents in marked vehicles drove north in the correct lane to alert the driver. At around 2:18 a.m., they identified the vehicle as a motorcycle moving against traffic. A request was made for personnel at USBP Sonoita Station to contact the City of Benson Police Department regarding the situation. Emergency lights were activated to warn the rider.
At approximately 2:21 a.m., agents witnessed a crash on State Route 90’s southbound lanes and reported it via agency radio, requesting assistance from local fire and emergency medical services. Upon arriving at the scene, agents found that the motorcycle had collided with a convertible traveling southbound. Both vehicles were engulfed in flames, and efforts by agents to extinguish them with handheld fire extinguishers were unsuccessful.
The agent observed that the motorcycle rider had suffered multiple dismembering injuries and that there were no signs of life from the convertible’s driver. Due to the fire, agents could not access or render aid to the convertible's driver.
Benson Police Department arrived at about 2:28 a.m. and took control of the scene. Authorities later identified those involved as a 35-year-old male U.S. citizen riding the motorcycle and a 17-year-old female U.S. citizen driving the convertible.
The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner determined that death occurred at approximately 2:28 a.m., took custody of both individuals’ remains, and transported them for autopsy in Tucson, Arizona. Autopsy reports will be provided to CBP Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) upon completion.
The Benson Police Department is investigating this incident while CBP OPR is conducting its own review and has notified the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
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