An Instagram video shows Skylar Provenza and Fletcher Harris, who were killed by an alleged drunk driver, along with Laken Riley.
ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. โ A new video published by the White House late Wednesday night references a deadly crash in Rowan County involving an alleged drunk driver who officials report is in the country illegally.
The video, shared on Instagram, is a collage featuring photos of people whom the Trump administration has highlighted as victims of crimes committed by undocumented persons. Among them are Skylar Provenza and Fletcher Harris, who died on Jan. 16 after authorities say Juan Alvarado Aguilar crashed into them while driving impaired. Prosecutors said he crossed a double yellow line, hitting the vehicle carrying Harris and Provenza. Alvarado Aguilar also reportedly had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath at the time of the crash.ย
Alvarado Aguilar remains in jail as of publication under a $5 million bond.
The Department of Homeland Security announced last week that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had also lodged a detainer for him. DHS cited WCNC Charlotte’s own reporting when making the announcement. DHS also said Alvarado Aguilar first entered the United States in March 2020 on a temporary work visa and did not leave after the visa expired. He’s now been placed in removal proceedings.
The posting of the video appears to contradict the Provenza family’s wishes to memorialize Skylar; a family representative who reached out to WCNC Charlotte last week asked that any tributes to Provenza not mention Alvarado Aguilar’s background, immigration status, or ICE, and that the crash not be sensationalized.
Provenza, 19, and Harris, 20, were a couple. Harris was a goalkeeper on Catawba College’s soccer team, and Provenza had recently started a career as an esthetician.
Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, who grew up in Blowing Rock, is reportedly leaving Minneapolis along with some agents as soon as this week.ย
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