Illegal Immigrant from India: Fiery Ontario Freeway Crash Kills Three: Authorities Name 21-Year-Old Suspect in DUI Semi-Truck Wreck

ONTARIO, Calif. (APN) — In a tragic collision that turned a bustling Southern California highway into a scene of devastation, authorities on Wednesday released the identity of the young semi-truck driver accused of sparking a deadly chain-reaction crash that claimed three lives and injured four others.

Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old resident of Yuba City in Northern California, was arrested at the scene following the fiery pileup on the westbound 10 Freeway near the 15 Freeway interchange. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Singh was allegedly under the influence of drugs and speeding when his Freightliner tractor-trailer plowed into slow-moving traffic around 1:10 p.m. Tuesday, failing to brake or swerve in time to avoid disaster.

The catastrophic impact involved eight vehicles—including four semi-trucks, two pickup trucks, and two passenger cars—creating a massive fireball and scattering debris across the roadway. Eyewitnesses described a harrowing spectacle of destruction. "It didn’t stop. It didn’t swerve. It didn’t make any kind of maneuvers. It just went straight in," Jason Calmelat, who watched from a nearby parking lot, told NBC Los Angeles. Dashcam footage obtained by KABC captured the moment Singh's rig slammed into an SUV, crushing vehicles and igniting a blaze that engulfed parts of the wreckage.

CHP Officer Rodrigo Jimenez called the scene "catastrophic," noting car parts strewn everywhere and a hazardous materials spill from the semi's cargo. "This could have been prevented if somebody had been paying attention sober," Jimenez said, emphasizing the preventable nature of the tragedy. Investigators are examining the truck for mechanical issues, but preliminary evidence, including video, shows no external factors like another vehicle cutting off Singh.

The victims—yet to be publicly identified pending family notifications—include two occupants of a vehicle so severely mangled and burned that its make and model remains undetermined, as well as a passenger in a pickup truck. Four survivors were hospitalized with injuries ranging from minor to major.

Singh, booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter, faces additional charges as the probe continues. Federal immigration sources cited by Fox News reporter Bill Melugin indicate Singh is an Indian national who entered the U.S. illegally and was apprehended and released at the California border in March 2022 under the Biden administration's policies. While his exact immigration status has fueled online debates, CHP officials have focused solely on the criminal aspects of the case.

The crash has ignited widespread public outrage, particularly on social media, where users have drawn parallels to a similar August incident in Florida involving another Indian truck driver, Harjinder Singh, who caused a fatal wreck after an illegal U-turn.

Yuba City, a hub for Sikh immigrants in the state's agricultural heartland, has long been a center for trucking jobs, but this incident has cast a shadow over the industry. Trucking associations have yet to comment, but safety advocates are renewing calls for enhanced drug testing and oversight for young drivers in high-stakes roles.

As families grieve and investigators sift through the ashes, the Ontario crash serves as a stark reminder of the lethal perils of impaired driving on America's congested freeways. Singh's arraignment is pending, and CHP urges witnesses with additional details to come forward.

17GEN4.com