US officials say Indian-origin truck driver who killed 3 in California crash was sober at the time

Indian-origin truck driver Jashanpreet Singh, accused of causing a fatal crash that killed three people in California last month, was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

At the time of the incident, US officials have confirmed — contradicting initial claims that he was driving under the influence. According to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, toxicology reports revealed that “none of the substances tested were present in Singh’s blood” when the crash occurred. However, authorities have maintained that the case still amounts to “grossly negligent homicide.”

Singh, 21, was arrested on October 21 and initially charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and DUI causing injury after his semi-truck ploughed through stopped traffic in Ontario, California. Eyewitness and dashcam footage showed the truck speeding moments before impact, which killed three people and injured several others.

The revised complaint now includes three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of reckless driving on a highway causing specified injury. Reports from Fox News suggested Singh had crossed into the US illegally via the southern border in 2022 and was awaiting an immigration hearing.

This marks the second deadly truck crash involving an Indian-origin driver in the US since August. In Florida, 28-year-old Harjinder Singh was charged with vehicular homicide after making an illegal U-turn that led to another fatal collision. The back-to-back incidents have reignited debate over commercial trucking safety, with US Senator Marco Rubio calling for a temporary halt on issuing commercial truck driver work visas.