An undocumented immigrant driving a semi-truck has been arrested after a crash on Florida’s Turnpike that killed three South Florida residents, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV).
Harjinder Singh, 28, faces three counts of vehicular homicide after investigators said he attempted an illegal U-turn near mile marker 170 on Aug. 12. The truck crossed in front of a Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which slammed into the rig. A photo released by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office showed the minivan wedged underneath the semi.
The 30-year-old driver of the minivan, from Florida City, was flown to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, where he later died. Two passengers — a 37-year-old woman from Pompano Beach and a 54-year-old man from Miami — were killed at the scene. Singh was not injured.
“The actions taken by the Defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal,” FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner said in a statement. “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.”
FLHSMV said Singh was able to get a commercial driver’s license in California. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, a driver must provide proof of legal presence in the U.S. to apply for a commercial driver’s license. Singh was able to get his through the Federal SAVE System, which allows states to verify the citizenship and immigration status of people applying for government benefits.
“The DMV followed all federal and state laws in reviewing and granting Mr. Harjinder Singh his California commercial driver’s license. The federal government confirmed Mr. Singh’s legal presence in the United States,” the California Department of Motor Vehicles said in a statement in part. “Mr. Singh’s commercial driver’s license is a federal REAL ID, which he was entitled to receive given the federal government’s confirmation of his legal status.”
Singh was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Aug. 16 in Stockton, California, after authorities said he fled the day after the crash. Officials said he has been living in the U.S. illegally since crossing the border from Mexico in 2018.
Kerner added, “Harjinger Singh is in custody on state vehicular homicide charges and immigration violations. He will no longer be able to damage and destroy the lives of Floridians and visitors. At the conclusion of his state charges, he will be deported.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also weighed in, criticizing federal immigration policies.
“To have California send this guy in and create havoc for our state, it’s just fundamentally wrong,” DeSantis said. “It can’t just be that we do the right things in Florida, and somehow that’s going to cure what is happening on the ‘Left Coast’ … California, they do it differently, they invite people to come in illegally, and they provide benefits.”
Singh is being held in California’s San Joaquin County Jail pending court appearances and an immigration detainer filed by ICE.
