A 13-year-old boy died after he was involved in a traffic collision in Mexico during an attempt to cross the U.S. border Saturday and was brought to Jacumba Hot Springs with traumatic injuries, officials said.
The boy was traveling from Michoacán with a half brother, Mexican officials said.
The boy was in a pickup truck that was part of a two-vehicle caravan near the border fence in Jacumé, a small town in Mexico opposite Jacumba Hot Springs, said David Pérez Tejada, director of the National Immigration Institute in Baja California. After the crash, the drivers of both vehicles fled. The truck involved in the crash had been reported stolen in Tijuana two weeks prior, Pérez Tejada said.
The boy’s injuries were grave, and he was taken across the border, near the end of the border fence known as O’Neil Valley, for treatment.
Cal Fire paramedics responded to the call, near the Valley of the Moon area, and found the injured teen, said Cal Fire spokesperson Mike Cornette. Medics immediately initiated advanced life support, but he died before he could be taken to a hospital.
A Border Patrol spokesperson said agents responded to the call and assisted medics who were at the scene, Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Eric Lavergne said in a statement.
The boy’s body was taken to the county Medical Examiner’s Office facilities. His full name has not been released. Mexican officials notified the boy’s family.
The Jacumba Hot Springs area has become a major crossing point for migrants — many of them seeking asylum — in recent months. Once they cross, the migrants wait sometimes for days in the harsh elements to be picked up by Border Patrol agents and processed.
Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing the incident, officials said.
