Mexican National Charged in Ohio Crash That Killed Teacher Cameron Lyon
Alvaro Uribe-Gonzalez, a 33-year-old Mexican national previously deported, faces aggravated vehicular homicide and DUI charges after a crash on U.S. Route 33 in Fairfield County killed 23-year-old teacher Cameron Lyon and seriously injured his fiancée, Abrielle Kerns.
A 33-year-old Mexican national who federal officials say was previously deported and later re-entered the country illegally is facing charges in a fiery Ohio crash that killed a newly engaged 23-year-old teacher and seriously injured his fiancée.
Alvaro Uribe-Gonzalez was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license in the death of Cameron Lyon, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The crash occurred shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday on U.S. Route 33 in Fairfield County.
Investigators said Lyon was driving west when Uribe-Gonzalez's eastbound GMC Terrain went off the right side of the highway. Uribe-Gonzalez allegedly overcorrected, veered across the roadway and overturned into the westbound lanes, slamming into Lyon's Chevrolet Trax. The GMC then caught fire. Lyon was treated at the scene but died a short time later. Uribe-Gonzalez suffered minor injuries. Authorities said alcohol is suspected to have played a role in the crash.
Lyon's fiancée, 23-year-old Abrielle Kerns, was seriously injured. The Ohio State Highway Patrol initially described her injuries as non-life-threatening, but relatives said she remained in intensive care and was «fighting to recover» as the family grappled with Lyon's death.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with the Fairfield County Jail the day after Uribe-Gonzalez's arrest, asking local officials not to release him before federal agents can take custody. The Department of Homeland Security said Uribe-Gonzalez first entered the country illegally through Texas in January 2020 and was arrested by Border Patrol. An immigration judge issued a final removal order on Jan. 11, 2020, and he was deported to Mexico on April 14 of that year. Federal officials said he later illegally crossed back into the U.S. at an unknown date and location.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE wants Ohio officials to cooperate with the detainer so Uribe-Gonzalez can be taken into federal custody and removed from the country. «Cameron had his whole life ahead of him, and that life was stolen by this criminal who never should have been in our country in the first place,» Mullin said.
Lyon had recently begun his first teaching job and was well-loved by staff and students at Crestline Exempted Schools, according to a fundraiser for his family. A graduate of Otterbein University, Lyon was remembered as a cherished son, brother and friend whose death left his family and community devastated.
Lyon and Kerns had recently become engaged and were preparing to begin their life together. The couple had moved into a home that had been in Lyon's family for generations and were renovating it together, according to Earthly Pottery Co., where Kerns worked. «We are devastated by this needless tragedy and miss him dearly,» organizers of the fundraiser for Lyon's family wrote.
A separate fundraiser organized by Kerns' aunt and uncle said the family was standing beside her through the «shock, pain and uncertainty» of the difficult days following the crash. «Everyone who knew Abrielle and Cameron could see the love they shared and the future they were building together,» the family wrote. The money raised will help cover Kerns' medical bills and the mounting challenges she faces as she recovers and begins rebuilding her life without Lyon.
The tragedy has rippled through the community as local businesses rallied around Kerns and Lyon's family. Millersport Coffee announced it will donate a portion of its weekend sales to support Lyon's family and help cover Kerns' medical needs. «The entire Kerns family is like family to us,» the coffee shop wrote. «We are incredibly thankful that she survived, while we grieve with her and the Lyon family over the heartbreaking loss of her fiancé, Cameron Lyon.»
Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy pointed to Uribe-Gonzalez's alleged drunken driving and immigration history as he vowed to take action if elected governor. «This is an unconscionable tragedy because it was preventable,» Ramaswamy wrote. «This perpetrator shouldn't have ever been in our country, let alone permitted to remain here.» He added: «But he ended up driving drunk & killed an innocent young man in Ohio. I won't tolerate this in our state. So devastating. It doesn't have to be this way. I'll fix it in Ohio next year & will go hard as necessary.»
