A 21-year-old Indian national living in the United States illegally has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter after causing a fiery crash on the I-10 Freeway in Ontario, California, that killed three people and injured four others.
Officials identified the driver as Jashanpreet Singh, who entered the U.S. illegally through California’s El Centro border sector in March 2022. He was later released under the Biden administration’s “alternatives to detention” program while awaiting immigration proceedings.
Authorities say Singh was high on drugs when he rammed his Freightliner truck into an SUV and several other vehicles that were stopped in traffic near the I-15 junction on Tuesday afternoon. The impact triggered a chain reaction involving eight vehicles, including four big rigs.
Dashcam footage from Singh’s truck shows him speeding toward the line of vehicles without braking before slamming into the SUV. Seconds later, the vehicles burst into flames, sending thick black smoke into the air.
California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said Singh was taken to a hospital and later tested positive for drug use. “Our officers determined he was driving under the influence,” Jimenez said. “This is one of the most horrific crashes we’ve seen. Families are getting the worst news of their lives.”
Among the dead was a 54-year-old man from Upland. Two other victims were burned beyond recognition and remain unidentified. One of the injured was a roadside mechanic who was changing a tire when the truck hit.
The freeway was shut down for several hours as firefighters battled the flames and emergency crews cleared the wreckage.
Investigators confirmed that no vehicle cut in front of Singh’s truck and ruled out mechanical failure, concluding that driver impairment was the likely cause. Singh remains in custody without bail at the San Bernardino County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court in Rancho Cucamonga later this week.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Singh had no legal immigration status. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer for his transfer to federal custody once criminal proceedings conclude.
Authorities are also investigating how Singh obtained a commercial driver’s licence and secured work as a truck driver despite being undocumented.
The case has reignited debate over lax licensing oversight and immigration enforcement. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently criticized California for failing to enforce federal driver-qualification standards, saying the state’s policies put lives at risk. The U.S. Department of Transportation has already withheld $40 million in highway safety funds from California for not requiring commercial drivers to meet English-language standards.
This crash mirrors another deadly incident in Florida earlier this year involving an undocumented Indian truck driver, Harjinder Singh, who also killed three people while driving without proper credentials.
