Punjabi-origin truck driver behind California crash that killed 3 pleads not guilty
Babushahi Bureau
Rancho Cucamonga (California), October 25, 2025: Punjabi-origin truck driver Jaspreet Singh, accused in a deadly crash on California’s 10 Freeway that killed three people, pleaded not guilty to all charges during his court appearance in Rancho Cucamonga on Friday.
The 21-year-old faces three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury. He denied all allegations, including drug use. The court has scheduled the next hearing for November 4, and a Punjabi interpreter will assist during the proceedings.
According to U.S. federal authorities, Jaspreet Singh is in the United States illegally, having entered through the southern border in 2022. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have lodged a detainer against him. Questions have also been raised regarding the authenticity of his driver’s license.
Jaspreet remains in police custody without bail and has been appointed a public defender by the court.
Meanwhile, his family in Punjab has maintained that he did not use drugs and has appealed to the Central Government of India for intervention. Villagers in his hometown gathered at the local Gurdwara Sahib, offering prayers for the three victims of the tragic accident.
It has also emerged that former MP Simranjit Singh Mann had provided Jaspreet Singh with a letter citing threats to his safety in India—a document Mann has publicly confirmed.
Authorities say the accident occurred when the semi-truck driven by Jaspreet Singh crashed into vehicles on the 10 Freeway in Ontario, California, allegedly at high speed and without braking before impact, resulting in three fatalities.
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