DistantNews
Support us
Indian Truck Driver Jailed for Nearly 5 Years in Deadly California Crash
🇮🇳 India /Crime & Justice

Indian Truck Driver Jailed for Nearly 5 Years in Deadly California Crash

From Times of India · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Indian national Jashanpreet Singh was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for a fatal 2025 California truck crash.
  • The crash killed three people and injured several others when Singh's semi-truck collided with stopped traffic on Interstate 10.
  • Singh, who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, was driving with a commercial license that federal authorities claim should have been revoked under new regulations.

An Indian national living illegally in the United States has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for a deadly truck crash in Southern California. Jashanpreet Singh, 21, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence for the October 2025 collision on Interstate 10 in Ontario, California.

Prosecutors stated Singh faced a maximum of 10 years. Investigators determined that Singh was driving a semi-truck when it slammed into slow-moving traffic, causing a chain reaction involving seven vehicles. Dashcam footage and witness accounts suggest the truck did not brake or attempt to avoid the collision. One witness described the impact as sounding like an explosion, leaving the truck engulfed in flames and debris scattered across the freeway.

It didn't stop. It didn't swerve. It didn't make any kind of maneuvers. It just went straight in.

— Jason CalmelatWitness describing the truck's movement immediately before the collision.

The victims included an elderly couple and another resident from Upland, California. Federal authorities revealed Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was released pending immigration proceedings. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration detainer against him following his arrest.

The case has ignited a political dispute over California's commercial driver's license policies. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy accused the state administration of failing to comply with federal requirements, suggesting California's actions allowed Singh to continue driving commercially. California officials, however, maintained that Singh's license was issued based on federally recognized employment authorization documents. The California Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed Singh held a commercial driver's license, which he obtained in June 2025. A restriction was removed from his license on October 15, 2025, just days before the fatal crash occurred.

It would have never happened if Gavin Newsom had followed our new rules. California broke the law and now thr

— Sean DuffyUS Transportation Secretary criticizing California's compliance with federal regulations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Times of India in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog