EVERETT, Mass. — Surveillance video you’ll see only on Boston 25 News shows a high-speed hit and run in Everett that landed a Peruvian national in ICE custody.
The footage shows a 63-year-old woman walking into a crosswalk at Broadway and Summer Street on Sunday morning with a rolling shopping cart.
The victim, identified by family as Fatna Sefnaj, made it about halfway into the crosswalk and is seen running to try to dodge the impact.
Investigators said that did not stop the 23-year-old driver, who hit her head on and sent her flying nearly 80 feet.
“I see the blood on the floor and a human there and people trying to help her,” said Diego Lopes, who works at Monica Meat Market. “I’ve never seen nothing near me like this before.”
Lopes just clocked in for his shift at Monica Meat Market near where Sefnaj landed on the concrete.
He saw her belongings scattered in the roadway and a mangled shopping cart on the sidewalk nearby.
“She was not moving. She stayed there,” Lopes told Boston 25 News. “To be honest, I first thought she died.”
Everett Police quickly caught up with Brando Sanchez-Diaz at a home on Gledhill Ave, about a mile away from the scene.
A police report said Sanchez-Diaz broke traffic laws less than three months ago.
“A check of Brando’s fingerprints after booking showed he was previously fingerprinted under the name Deyvis Diaz-Sanchez… Deyvis still has no license and was charged on 9/20/2025 for two counts of reckless operations, 2 counts of unlicensed operation and 2 counts of fail to stop/yield,” said the police report.
He’s been picked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is now awaiting removal proceedings.
An ICE spokesperson told Boston 25 News that Sanchez-Diaz entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was released under the Biden administration’s “catch and release” policy.
“Catch and release” is commonly used to describe the practice of releasing apprehended migrants into the U.S. to await their immigration court hearings as an alternative to detention.
“Diaz-Sanchez clearly represents a dire threat to the residents of Massachusetts,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director David Wesling. “Unfortunately, due to the sanctuary policies in the state, Diaz-Sanchez was ordered released on bond to potentially reoffend.”
Sefnaj suffered a brain bleed and significant injuries in the hit-and-run crash.
She remains in critical condition on a ventilator at Mass General Hospital.
A family friend told Boston 25 News that doctors have removed pieces of her skull and described a long road to recovery ahead.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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