Indian-Origin Trucker Arrested in US After Crash That Killed Three; Entered Country Illegally in 2022

A 21-year-old Indian-origin truck driver, Jashanpreet Singh, has been arrested in California after a devastating multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 10 that left three people dead and several others injured. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) said Singh, a resident of Yuba City, was driving a Freightliner truck when he failed to slow down for traffic near Ontario, causing a chain-reaction collision involving multiple vehicles, including other heavy trucks.

Authorities revealed that Singh was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash. He now faces multiple charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. Dashcam footage captured the violent impact, which left wreckage scattered across the highway and traffic halted for hours.

Federal immigration officials later confirmed that Singh had entered the United States illegally in March 2022 through California’s southern border. He was detained by the U.S. Border Patrol but released under the “alternatives to detention” policy implemented by the Biden administration, which allows certain migrants to stay in the country while their immigration cases are processed.

Following his arrest, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an immigration detainer against Singh, who remains in custody at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court later this week.

The crash has reignited debate in the United States over immigration enforcement and truck driver licensing standards. U.S. Transportation officials have called for tighter screening and language proficiency checks for commercial driving licence holders. Meanwhile, investigators are examining how Singh obtained a commercial licence despite his undocumented status.

The victims of the fatal crash have not yet been publicly identified as authorities continue their investigation into the tragic incident.