The driver involved in a fatal truck crash that killed three people in California has been sentenced to prison. Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old Indian national in the US illegally, pleaded guilty to three counts of gross negligence causing death and was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months.
The crash occurred on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County in October 2025. The truck driven by Singh rear-ended moving traffic. Three people died in the collision, and many others were injured. Officials said dashcam footage showed Singh plowing into traffic without braking.
Illegal Entry into the US and Release
Federal sources reported that Jashanpreet Singh entered the US from the Mexico border in 2022 and was released during the Biden administration. Singh was first encountered by Border Patrol in the El Centro Sector in March 2022 and was released on the condition that he appear before a judge.
Controversial Commercial Driver's License Process
Singh obtained a commercial driver's license (CDL) from the state of California in June 2025. However, federal officials had previously warned the state after finding that California's process for issuing CDLs to foreign nationals had compliance issues with federal regulations. In a warning issued in September, they demanded that new applications be halted and existing licenses be reviewed.
The U.S. Department of Transportation stated that Singh was not eligible for a CDL under the emergency policy. California officials, however, argued that Singh obtained the license based on federally approved work permit documents. The restriction on Singh's license was lifted on October 15, when he turned 21; just six days later, on October 21, the fatal crash occurred.
Toxicology tests revealed that Singh was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash.
