Previously Deported Illegal Alien Accused of Killing Father of Three in Drunken Hit-and-Run

A previously deported and released illegal alien is accused of killing a father of three daughters in a drunk driving hit-and-run crash in upstate New York.

Heriberto R. Perez-Velasquez, a 31-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, hit and killed 59-year-old Mark Knapp in Weedsport, New York, on November 10, according to the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office. Police said Knapp was driving his tractor to get it washed when Perez-Velasquez was drunk driving and hit the father of three. Knapp was a retired electrician and belonged to the local IBEW Local 43 union.

Knapp, police said, was thrown from the tractor and died. Knapp leaves behind his wife, Sharon Hildebrant, as well as their three daughters, Samantha Knapp, Kaitlynne Knapp, and Christy Stoneburg, and his grandson, Coby.

How to watch President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address to Congress live

Climate groups sue Trump administration over EPA’s bombshell deregulation decision

Trump Admin Cancels Visas for 100,000 Foreign Nationals Who Don’t Meet American Standards

Developing: Bad News as DNA Results in Guthrie Kidnapping Come in to FBI

‘Devil in the Ozarks’ gets more prison time for escaping, now in supermax facility

Bald eagle floating on Hudson River ice rescued by NYPD

Minnesota Officials Forced to Sound the Alarms Over Fungal STD Outbreak

Watch: Whoopi Goldberg Rushes to Explain Why She Was in the Epstein Files Seeking to Use His Private Jet

Immigration judge blocks deportation of Columbia anti-Israel agitator

Sanders-endorsed Senate candidate knocked for alleged flip-flop to ‘have it both ways’ on key issue

Hollywood Star Arrested, Charged After Altercation: ‘Held Down Until Police Arrived’

NYC Board of Elections worker says ‘not my job to report anyone’ when asked about registering non-citizens

Gun store owner says FBI asked him to check firearm sales against list of names, pics in Guthrie case

Mike Lee calls Schumer’s ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ attack on voter ID bill ‘paranoid fantasy’

Palestinian activist accused of expressing desire to ‘kill Jews’ wins deportation case

Following the crash, police said the illegal alien fled the scene, but was eventually stopped by sheriff’s deputies and a pedestrian. Aside from allegedly driving drunk, Perez-Velasquez had been driving without a license and he was not authorized to be driving the car, police said.

A month before the deadly hit-and-run, though, Perez-Velasquez was released by Wayne County, New York, officials and not turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency after he was arrested for drunk driving.

In that drunk driving case, police said Perez-Velasquez ran from officers but was eventually caught and charged.

“Had Mr. Perez-Velasquez been detained by ICE after his October 2019, DUI arrest, a life might have been spared,” Acting ICE Director Matt Albence told CNY Central. “Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not honor detainers or allow us access to jails and prisons are shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and jeopardizing the lives of law-abiding citizens.”

Wayne County officials confirmed that Perez-Velasquez was not turned over to ICE due to a series of legal complications, and instead was given an order to appear in court.