CHANDIGARH: The 21-year-old Indian-origin truck driver Jashanpreet Singh, accused of causing a semi-truck crash that left three people dead in the United States, belongs to Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
His family has denied claims that he was intoxicated, stating that he is a Baptised Sikh (Amritdhari Sikh), and urged the Union Government to intervene to ensure no injustice is done to their son.
Singh hails from Purana Shala village in Gurdaspur district. His family is in shock after learning about the incident. Singh’s father, Ravinder Singh, a school bus driver, called allegations that his son was under the influence of drugs baseless, asserting that he never consumed drugs or any intoxicant.
"My son was not into drugs, he is an ‘Amritdhari Sikh’. The allegations of drugs against him are completely wrong," he said.
Terming the accident “very unfortunate and tragic” he said, "It was not done intentionally," while expressing his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
He urged the Union Government to intervene and requested support from the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to ensure no injustice is done to his son.
As news of Jashanpreet’s arrest spread, villagers began gathering at his residence to express solidarity with the family.
Meanwhile, the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) expressed anguish and outrage over the horrific accident in California, which claimed three lives and injured several others due to the “reckless actions” of Jashanpreet.
Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director of NAPA, said, "This is a tragedy that should never have happened. It is shameful and deeply painful that an individual from our own community, who entered the country through illegal means, has brought such grief and disgrace. Three innocent souls have perished; this is not just a legal failure, but a moral collapse of the system that enables and exploits desperate youth."
NAPA strongly condemned the incident and demanded that US and Indian authorities immediately investigate how an undocumented person could obtain a commercial driver’s licence and operate a heavy vehicle on American roads.
The organisation highlighted that such incidents expose the growing human smuggling crisis and the exploitation of Punjabi and Indian youth by unscrupulous travel agents and immigration rackets operating across both countries.
Chahal added, "Every month, we receive distress calls from families whose sons have vanished while trying to enter the US illegally. They sell land, mortgage homes, and risk their lives, only to become victims of traffickers or face tragedies like this. Enough is enough — governments must act, not after people die, but before."
Jashanpreet was arrested after a deadly collision in Ontario, California, which killed three people and injured at least four others.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Singh was driving a speeding semi-truck and failed to brake before crashing into slow-moving traffic on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County. Dashcam footage showed the truck never braking before impact. Toxicology tests confirmed that Singh was under the influence of a substance at the time of the crash.
Sources alleged that Singh reportedly immigrated to the US illegally in 2022. The Department of Homeland Security stated that he was not a lawful immigrant and that ICE has lodged a detainer following his arrest. Singh now faces multiple charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Singh was released under the Biden administration’s 2022 “alternatives to detention” policy, according to authorities.
