 "Harjinder Singh was behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer on the Florida Turnpike near Fort Pierce when he made a sudden hard left turn, killing three people behind his vehicle. Image courtesy: X")
An Indian truck driver, Harjinder Singh, has found himself at the centre of a deadly crash in Florida that left three people dead.
According to investigators, Singh, a 28-year-old Sikh driver who is in the US illegally, attempted an abrupt and illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike. His trailer jackknifed in the process and smashed into a minivan, resulting in the horrific accident.
The crash has not only shocked the local community but has also stirred a political debate between the Donald Trump administration and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
But why? And who exactly is Harjinder Singh? What happens next in the case against him? Here’s a closer look.
How the crash unfolded
According to authorities, Singh was behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer on the Florida Turnpike near Fort Pierce when he made a sudden hard left turn. He attempted to cut across the median through an “Official Use Only” pass, a move strictly prohibited for regular vehicles.
The truck ended up blocking all lanes of oncoming traffic. Just seconds later, a minivan travelling at full speed crashed into the trailer, becoming wedged underneath. The impact was fatal.
As reported by Treasure Coast Newspapers, three people were killed in the collision: a 37-year-old woman from Pompano Beach, a 30-year-old man from Florida City, and a 54-year-old man from Miami. The passengers died instantly at the scene, while the driver was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after.
In a cruel twist, Singh and a passenger who was with him inside the semi-truck walked away unscathed. The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed that neither of them sustained any injuries.
What shocked many was footage later released from inside the truck’s cab. The video shows Singh seemingly unfazed in the immediate aftermath of the crash. He can be seen calmly putting the truck in park and turning off the engine, as if nothing had happened.
On Saturday, US Marshals arrested Singh in California on a warrant charging him with three counts of vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The arrest came just two days after the tragedy.
“The actions taken by the Defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) Director Dave Kerner said.
“Three people lost their lives as a result of his recklessness, and countless friends and family members will experience the pain of their loss forever.”
Who is Harjinder Singh?
As investigators dug deeper into the crash, they uncovered that Singh had entered the US illegally years ago.
According to police sources cited by The New York Post, Singh crossed into the US illegally on September 20, 2018. He slipped in through the San Ysidro, California border from Mexico, without inspection or parole by immigration officials. That very day, he was caught by the US Border Patrol and marked for fast-track deportation under the Trump administration.
But Singh claimed he feared being sent back to India. This plea landed him in the asylum system, and in January 2019, he was released on a $5,000 immigration bond. He was told to appear before an immigration judge, but like thousands of others stuck in the massive backlog of asylum cases, he never made it to court.
Years later, in June 2021, the Biden administration granted him work papers that had previously been denied during Trump’s first term, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday.
“How many more innocent people have to die before Gavin Newsom stops playing games with the safety of the American public?” it added.
Once freed from detention, he returned to California and somehow managed to get a commercial driver’s licence, though it remains unclear how he was able to do so.
“The illegal alien is an Indian national who was granted a commercial driver’s license by the so-called ‘sanctuary state’ of California, whose reckless policies put the lives of American citizens at risk every single day,” said the White House in a statement in the wake of the deadly crash.
However, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Press office hit back and claimed that when Singh entered the US, Trump was the president.
Critics also argued that Singh’s victims would still be alive had his deportation gone through as initially planned.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, posted sharply on X, “He should have never been in our country in the first place!”
What’s next for Singh?
As per a Newsweek report, federal immigration authorities have issued a detainer for Singh, indicating that potential deportation proceedings may follow once the criminal case concludes.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.
With input from agencies