No charges filed in traffic death of Boise girl, despite Homeland Security claim
No charges related to a fatal traffic accident in Boise’s North End have been filed against the driver of a pickup truck that hit an 8-year-old girl while she was trying to cross Harrison Boulevard earlier this month.
Despite that, the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security issued an inaccurate press release last weekend stating that the driver — who is in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody because there was a federal warrant out in his name — “was charged with hit and run in a tragedy that killed 8-year-old Mora Gerety in Boise, Idaho.”
Some national news outlets, including Fox News, picked up the release and ran stories.
On Nov. 11, Mora, a Washington Elementary student, was hit by the truck after both she and the driver were stopped at the intersection of Harrison and Ada Street. The man was turning right onto Harrison at about 4:30 p.m. that day when he struck the girl, who was taken to St. Luke’s hospital in downtown Boise and died a couple of hours later.
The Boise Police Department said the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. During a standard records check, police found that he had the outstanding warrant and notified ICE, and the man was taken into custody.
The Idaho Statesman checked Tuesday with the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, the Boise City Attorney’s Office and Boise police about whether any charges related to the girl’s death had been filed. A court records search online revealed none.
“The crash is still under investigation and at this time there aren’t any updates. Any charges would depend on the results of the ongoing investigation,” said Haley Kramer, a Boise police spokesperson.
The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the office “has not been asked to screen any reports for possible charges.” City attorneys said no misdemeanor charges had been filed.
The DHS release said the man’s federal warrant was issued for neglecting to show up at an immigration hearing after he entered the country illegally in 2015. The Honduras native was ordered to be removed from the U.S. on May 9, 2016.
Homeland Security also said the man acquired a driver's license from the “sanctuary state” of Oregon, which is one of 20 states that does not require proof of legal status to obtain a license. Oregon law HB2015 eliminated the requirement, but a person must show a valid passport, an identification card from the consulate of the person’s home country, or a license or permit from another state.
Homeland Security did not respond to the Statesman’s questions about the information in its press release.
This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM.
