California Tragedy: Migrant Truck Driver Denies Guilt in Fatal Crash Case

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LOS ANGELES — A man accused of being in the U.S. illegally and allegedly responsible for a fatal crash in California faced multiple charges in court on Friday, pleading not guilty.

Jashanpreet Singh, 21, from Yuba City, California, is charged with driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He was taken into custody following the incident.

Jashanpreet Singh mugshot — Authorities identified the driver arrested in a deadly crash as Jashanpreet Singh. (Department of Homeland Security)

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, which was captured in dramatic dashcam footage. The video shows a large truck colliding with stopped vehicles on the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to California Highway Patrol spokesperson Rodrigo Jimenez, “The westbound traffic either slowed or came to a stop, and the Freightliner commercial vehicle did not stop, causing a chain reaction crash.” The collision involved eight vehicles, including three other big rigs, and led to the closure of the busy interstate’s westbound lanes for several hours.

The DHS said Thursday that Singh is a “criminal alien” from India. Singh first entered the U.S. in 2022 through the southern border and was “released” under the Biden administration.

That revelation prompted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to restate earlier concerns about who should be able to obtain commercial driver’s licenses. Duffy and President Donald Trump have been pressing the issue and criticizing California ever since a deadly Florida crash in August was caused by an immigrant truck driver the federal government says was in the country illegally.

The Transportation Department significantly restricted when noncitizens can get commercial driver’s licenses last month.

Two of the three people killed in Wednesday’s crash were identified as Clarence Nelson and his wife, Lisa. Clarence Nelson was a former assistant basketball coach at Pomona High who had most recently coached at Rancho Cucamonga High. Pomona High posted a tribute to Nelson on its Facebook page.

The CHP also indicated that four other people injured in the crash sustained injuries ranging from minor to major and were transported to local hospitals.

Singh kept his head down for the duration of his court appearance and showed no emotion.

His next court appearance is set for Nov. 4.

local affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles contributed to this report.