ONTARIO, Calif. (Diya TV) — A deadly semi-truck crash on California’s 10 Freeway in Ontario has left at least three people dead and several others injured. Authorities say the truck driver, 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh of Yuba City, was speeding and under the influence of drugs when he slammed into slow-moving traffic Tuesday afternoon.
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Singh was driving a semi-truck westbound on the 10 Freeway around 1 p.m. when he failed to brake before colliding with vehicles stuck in traffic. The high-speed impact caused a massive chain-reaction crash involving multiple tractor-trailers and passenger cars.
Officials confirmed that Singh never hit the brakes before the crash. His truck reportedly barreled into the back of another big rig, crushing two cars and igniting a large fireball on the freeway. At least three people were killed, and four others suffered injuries, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Authorities have not yet released the victims’ names pending family notification.
Harrowing dashcam footage of the incident has circulated widely on social media, showing the devastating impact and aftermath of the fiery collision. Witnesses described the crash scene as chaotic and horrifying.
“He didn’t try to slow down,” one witness told KTLA 5. “He just went full force into the back of another truck, crushing two other cars. Then everything went up in flames.”
The crash shut down multiple westbound lanes for hours as emergency crews worked to extinguish the fire, rescue survivors, and clear the wreckage.
Authorities arrested Singh at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and is awaiting formal charges. The CHP reported that Singh appeared impaired at the time of the crash and that toxicology results are pending.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reported on X Singh is allegedly an Indian illegal immigrant who entered the United States through the California border in March 2022. Citing unnamed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sources, Melugin claimed Singh had been “caught and released” by federal authorities under the Biden administration’s border policies.
“I’m told ICE is placing a detainer request on Singh with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department,” Melugin wrote. “He is in custody on suspicion of DUI, causing great bodily injury, and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.”
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have not yet publicly confirmed the claim.
The crash has triggered a wave of outrage online, with social media users expressing anger over both the alleged DUI and Singh’s reported immigration status. Many questioned how a 21-year-old could obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and operate a semi-truck while impaired.
“We are all waiting to hear how Jashanpreet Singh got a CDL,” one person wrote. “Three innocent lives are gone because a 21-year-old thought he could outrun reality while high behind the wheel.”
Others blamed California’s policies for what they see as a growing problem of impaired and unqualified truck drivers. “Another incompetent driver with a CDL from Gavin Newsom’s California murders three more people,” another user wrote. “The blood on Newsom’s and California Democrats’ hands will never wash off.”
This incident comes just weeks after a similar deadly crash in Florida, where another Indian truck driver, Harjinder Singh, was involved in a wreck that also killed three people. The back-to-back tragedies have intensified public scrutiny of commercial driver vetting and drug testing across the trucking industry.
Authorities continue to investigate the Ontario crash and are urging witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to contact the California Highway Patrol. As of Thursday, Singh remains in custody without formal charges filed. The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office is expected to review the case and determine charges in the coming days.
The California Highway Patrol said it is still working to reconstruct the crash and identify all victims. Officials have urged drivers to stay alert and avoid impaired driving, especially on busy Southern California freeways.
