A 21-year-old Indian national, accused of causing a deadly pile-up on California’s 10 Freeway, has pleaded not guilty to reduced charges after toxicology tests showed he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.
Jashanpreet Singh appeared in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday, wearing orange jail scrubs and shackles, but without his Sikh turban, which he had requested to wear. Singh entered a not guilty plea to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Authorities said Singh’s semi-truck triggered an eight-vehicle collision last month on the westbound 10 Freeway in San Bernardino County, killing three people and injuring four others.
Initially, investigators believed Singh was under the influence of drugs, but prosecutors later confirmed no drugs or alcohol were detected in his blood tests. As a result, the original charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence were dropped. Singh now faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison, a reduction from the 17-year maximum sentence under the original charges.
The judge denied Singh’s renewed bail request and scheduled his next hearing for Thursday, when he is expected to request permission to wear his religious head covering in court.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Singh allegedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 through the southern border and was later allowed to remain in the country under the Biden administration’s immigration policies. ICE has issued a detainer, asking to be notified before Singh’s potential release.
Dashcam footage captured Singh’s red tractor-trailer slamming into multiple vehicles during slow-moving traffic, leaving several cars crushed before colliding with a white truck. All westbound lanes were closed for several hours during the investigation.
A subsequent Department of Transportation report accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration of improperly upgrading Singh’s commercial driver’s license (CDL) after a new state law had banned undocumented immigrants from obtaining one. The report claims Singh’s CDL was upgraded on Oct. 15, weeks after the law took effect on Sept. 26.
The victims were identified as Clarence and Lisa Nelson, ages 76 and 69, of Fontana, and Jaime Flores Garcia, 54, of Upland.
Two Republican lawmakers, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), have urged Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to review CDL approval programs following Singh’s crash and another fatal collision involving an illegal immigrant trucker, Harjinder Singh, in Fort Pierce, Florida, earlier this year.
Jashanpreet Singh remains in jail without bail as the investigation continues.
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