Suspect in crash that killed NFL player was in US illegally, had been deported twice

The suspect in a crash that killed two people, including an Indianapolis Colts player, early Sunday morning is in the United States illegally, police say.

The crash happened around 4 a.m. Sunday, along I-70 near Holt Road in Indianapolis.

According to a release from Indiana State Police, Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson was the passenger in an Uber vehicle when he got sick. The driver, 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe, pulled over on I-70 to help him.

Both men were outside the car when a black Ford F-150 drove into the shoulder and struck the car. Jackson and Monroe were pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspected driver of the F-150, Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, first fled the scene on foot but was caught. Police reported they believe he was intoxicated and driving without a license.

On Monday, ISP detectives learned that Orrego-Savala first gave police a false name. Orrego-Savala is a citizen of Guatemala by birth, not Mexico as Marion County Jail records show. Orrego-Savala is in the United States illegally, and has been previously deported in 2007 and 2009, police say.

Federal immigration officials have placed a hold on him.

Jackson, 26, played in all 16 games for the Colts in 2016. He started 8 games, recording 42 total tackles. He was injured for the 2017 season.

Current and former Colts teammates tweeted about Jackson’s death, saying he was always happy and smiling.