California [US], October 23 : A 21-year-old Indian man, identified as Jashanpreet Singh, has been arrested in the United States for allegedly causing a fiery semi-truck crash that killed three people in San Bernardino County, California, Fox News reported.
Police said Singh was driving a big rig on the I-10 Freeway when he rammed into slow-moving traffic without braking. The impact caused a massive fire that left three people dead and several others injured, including Singh himself.
Investigators said toxicology tests confirmed that Singh was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash. He has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Earlier, US Attorney for Central California Bill Essayli told Fox News that Singh was under the influence of some kind of "stimulant" and he did not apply his brakes at all, before crashing into the moving traffic.
"He was travelling at a fast rate of speed, and he did not apply his brakes at all. They do suspect he was under the influence of some type of stimulant. I do suspect he will be charged with vehicular homicide."
"We are also looking at charges. We are opening an investigation to understand how he obtained a commercial driver's license from the state of California as an illegal immigrant. We want to understand if anyone in the DMV is complicit in issuing that driver's license to him."
According to US federal officials quoted by Fox News, Singh had crossed the southern US border illegally in 2022. He was first stopped by Border Patrol agents in California's El Centro Sector in March 2022.
However, Singh was later released into the country under the "alternatives to detention" policy of the previous US administration, which allows certain migrants to stay in the US while awaiting immigration hearings.
Authorities confirmed that Singh does not hold lawful immigration status. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has since lodged an immigration detainer against him following his arrest, as per Fox News.
Officials said the names of the three people killed in the crash have not yet been made public. Among the injured was a mechanic who was helping another vehicle with a tyre change at the time of the accident.
Police said Singh never attempted to stop before the collision, and his failure to apply brakes indicated clear signs of impairment.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently criticised some states, including California, for not enforcing federal English language requirements for commercial truck drivers.
The US government has warned that California could lose over $40 million in highway safety funding for failing to comply with those federal rules, as per Fox News.