Overview

• Police identified the victim as 14-year-old Joseph Nathaniel Caraballo, an El Paso ISD student who died after being struck by an SUV on U.S. 54 South Tuesday afternoon.
• EPPD’s Special Traffic Investigations unit says Caraballo ran across the northbound lanes, crossed the center barrier, then moved along the southbound lanes and into the path of a southbound SUV.
• Officers reported the SUV driver tried to avoid the collision, passersby rendered aid, and Caraballo later died at a local hospital.
• Caraballo’s family says he had level 3 autism and a history of eloping, noting a meeting with school staff about a safety plan one week prior and questioning how he was able to leave school again.
• EPISD offered condolences and counseling for students and staff and is working with police, who note this is the city’s 44th traffic fatality of the year compared with 49 at this time in 2024.