San Diego

Car Plows Through US-Mexico Border Into US After a Wrong Turn in Mexico

The driver of the SUV jumped the fence back into Mexico where he was treated for minor injuries. His car was towed back to Mexico

An SUV flew over the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday morning, flipping on its side and damaging part of the border fence.

The crash happened near Monument Road by the San Ysidro Water Treatment Plant in San Ysidro, a border area that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents say, despite its appearance, is very secure.

The driver was driving in Tijuana along Highway 1 which runs parallel to the fence line along the southern border. In some areas the highway in Mexico is elevated compared to the surface on the U.S. side of the fence, so a car could easily land in San Diego if it were to crash

That area is β€œbasically hills,” Diego Palomera, a man familiar with the area, said. β€œ[The border area] separates Imperial Beach Estuary and Tijuana.”

According to Border Patrol Agent Jose Hernandez, back in the early '90s and late '80s people would routinely drive right across the border in the same area the crash happened. Hernandez says that over the last 20 or so years, security has been improved significantly.

In addition to two fences, one 8 to 10-foot fence followed by an additional 15-foot fence topped with barbed wire, the area is routinely patrolled.

β€œWe have stadium lighting, and remote video surveillance,” Agent Hernandez said. β€œIt’s a very secure area.”

The driver of the SUV jumped the fence back into Mexico where he was treated for minor injuries. His car was towed back to Mexico.

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