Jose H.A.: Salvadoran driver arrested by Florida trooper who recorded him as white
Jose Hernandez Alvarez, from El Salvador, was stopped for window tint and arrested after the trooper contacted immigration authorities. A review found that trooper never marked a driver as "Hispanic" over 11 months.
Sep 23, 2025Lake Worth Beach, FLCountry of origin: El Salvador

Jose Hernandez Alvarez, a man from El Salvador, was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol Trooper John Petrofsky in Lake Worth Beach for driving with dark window tint. After the trooper contacted federal immigration authorities, Petrofsky arrested Alvarez, whom he said lacked legal status, and jailed him for driving with an expired license. Petrofsky identified Alvarez as "white" on official forms. WLRN reviewed 107 traffic cases involving Petrofsky in Palm Beach County and found he did not identify a single "Hispanic" driver during an 11-month period, raising questions about accurate race and ethnicity reporting that could hinder independent monitoring of alleged racial profiling.
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