A twice-deported illegal immigrant slammed head-on into a vehicle on a Connecticut interstate, causing a multi-car crash that killed a 21-year-old college hockey player, authorities said.
Connecticut State Police identified Guillermo Carmona-Lopez, 31, as the wrong-way driver who caused the crash Oct. 16 on Interstate 91 in North Haven, Connecticut.
The collision killed University of New Haven senior Ryan O’Shea, who was a club hockey captain, fraternity president and campus leader.
O’Shea was driving home around 11:45 p.m. from a hockey game when a Chevrolet Silverado struck his Honda Accord head-on and pushed it into other lanes of traffic. O’Shea’s vehicle was then hit by two other drivers and died.
Carmona-Lopez is a Mexican national who illegally entered the country more than a decade ago and returned at least twice after being removed, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
EXCLUSIVE: University Hockey Captain Killed in Wrong Way Collision With Twice-Deported Mexican Illegal in Sanctuary Connecticut
A beloved member of the University of New Haven community was killed in a head-on collision with a driver who is in the U.S. illegally, federal… pic.twitter.com/1cfTIezU7K
— Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) October 29, 2026
O’Shea, of Stony Point, New York, about 40 miles north of Manhattan. O’Shea graduated from North Rockland High School in 2023, where he played varsity hockey and golf, according to his obituary.
“You will forever be our sweet boy,” his parents wrote in his obituary. “You will be missed more than words can ever express and loved for all eternity.”
The University of New Haven men’s ice hockey club team retired O’Shea’s jersey during a pregame ceremony Friday, Oct. 30, the New Haven Register reported.
His was the first jersey retired in the history of the university’s men’s club hockey team, school officials said.
An ambitious student-athlete, O’Shea was studying criminal justice and political science at University of New Haven and planned to graduate in the spring.
He interned with the New York City Police Department over the summer and dreamed of joining the department after graduation.
“Ryan had an infectious smile and an easygoing nature that made everyone around him feel comfortable,” according to his obituary. “He loved playing and watching sports, but hockey was always his number one passion. He was incredibly proud to be a Charger and the senior captain of the University of New Haven club hockey team.”
O’Shea also served as the president of his fraternity, Kappa Sigma chapter, and his fraternity brothers also posted a tribute to him on Instagram:
“Ryan was not only a great leader, but he was a caring friend to anyone around him,” the chapter wrote. “He always knew how to light up a room and make people laugh, no matter the time. Ryan’s leadership and the memories he has made will never be forgotten.”
Devin Bertrand, general manager of the men’s ice hockey club, remembered O’Shea as someone whose “infectious personality lit up our locker room the moment he walked in.”
U.S. Border Patrol arrested Carmona-Lopez in May 2013 after he was caught illegally crossing the border. He was issued an expedited removal and removed from the country, per Fox News Digital.
Carmona-Lopez then illegally reentered the country near the Rio Grande Valley and was arrested again by Border Patrol that same month, DHS said.
Carmona-Lopez was issued a final order of removal on May 30, 2013, DHS officials said. He then reentered the country at an unknown time and place.
“Absolutely heartbreaking,” DHS wrote in a post on X. The department called the collision “a completely avoidable tragedy,” adding Carmona-Lopez was “TWICE-DEPORTED and had ZERO standing to be in our nation.”
Absolutely heartbreaking.
Guillermo Carmona-Lopez, an illegal alien from Mexico, killed Ryan O’Shea, a 21-year-old New Haven student, in a collision on October 16.
This was a completely avoidable tragedy, Carmona-Lopez was TWICE-DEPORTED and had ZERO standing to be in our… https://t.co/lKydDDpVSA pic.twitter.com/tWh8UloHLA
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 30, 2026
State troopers who responded to the scene determined Carmona-Lopez, who gave an address of Bridgeport, was driving the Silverado the wrong way on the interstate.
After the initial collision, O’Shea’s car was pushed into another lane, where it was struck by a Jeep before moving onto the right shoulder and being hit by a third vehicle.
First responders pronounced O’Shea dead at the scene. Carmona-Lopez was transported to a nearby hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries, while three other people suffered minor injuries, according to police reports.
The State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad responded to the scene and is assisting with the investigation, Fox News reported.
Officials have not provided an update on Carmona-Lopez’s injuries, or if he is suspected of driving under the influence, and he has not yet been charged in connection to the fatal crash.
