A 21-year-old Indian-origin truck driver, allegedly under the influence of drugs, went on a ramming spree on a California freeway, leaving three people dead and four others injured in a fiery chain-reaction crash that has shocked authorities and the public alike.
According to reports from Fox News, the accused, Jashanpreet Singh, ploughed his semi-truck into slow-moving traffic on the I-10 freeway near Ontario, California, without applying brakes. The dashcam footage, which has since gone viral, shows the Freightliner tractor-trailer crashing into multiple vehicles, triggering massive flames that engulfed several rigs and scattered debris across the interstate.
Officials from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed that Singh was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash. He has been arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after toxicology reports confirmed impairment.
Authorities said that Singh, an undocumented immigrant from Yuba City, entered the United States illegally in early 2022. The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have confirmed that Singh has no lawful immigration status. An immigration detainer has been issued against him, and he remains in custody in San Bernardino County without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled at Rancho Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga later this week.
Reports also indicate that Singh was released under the Biden administration’s 2022 “Alternatives to Detention” policy, which allows certain undocumented migrants to await immigration proceedings outside federal detention facilities. Authorities are also investigating whether he possessed a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL) — a mandatory requirement for operating heavy trucks in the US.
In a related development, officials recalled another fatal crash in August involving Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant from India, who killed three people in Fort Pierce, Florida, after making an illegal U-turn.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently warned states to enforce English language proficiency tests for commercial drivers, citing road safety concerns. “California is the only state that refuses to ensure big rig drivers can read road signs and communicate with law enforcement,” he said, adding that such lapses pose a “fundamental safety issue.”
The California Highway Patrol continues to investigate the incident, with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security monitoring the case closely.
