An undocumented immigrant who caused a deadly eight-vehicle crash on a California freeway in 2025 has been sentenced to four years and eight months in state prison.
Jashanpreet Singh pleaded guilty to charges connected to the October 2025 collision, which killed three people and injured four others, according to KNBC-TV.
Singh was driving a semi-truck when he crashed into traffic involving three other tractor-trailers, two pickup trucks, and two passenger cars. The impact set off a chain-reaction collision that stretched across the freeway and left several vehicles badly damaged.
Witness Jason Calmelat said Singh’s truck appeared to continue forward without slowing down or attempting to avoid the traffic ahead.
“It didn’t stop. It didn’t swerve. It didn’t make any kind of maneuvers. It just went straight in,” Calmelat said after the crash.
He also described seeing the truck roll toward an embankment before catching fire.
“The truck rolled and veered to the right into the embankment, and I saw the truck driver jump out because it was on fire,” he said.
Singh initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea shortly before sentencing, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
The sentence drew sharp criticism from the Department of Homeland Security, which argued that less than five years in prison was not enough given the number of lives lost. In a post on X, the department called the punishment a “slap on the wrist” and said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement intends to take Singh into custody after he completes his prison sentence.
DHS said Singh is an undocumented immigrant from India who entered the United States through the southern border in 2022 and was later released into the country. The agency lodged an immigration detainer against him soon after the crash.
Officials also questioned how Singh was able to work as a commercial truck driver. Former Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blamed federal immigration policies for allowing him to remain in the country and operate an 18-wheeler on American highways.
Singh’s age played a role in the sentence. He was 21 at the time of the crash, which allowed him to receive consideration under California’s youth-offender laws. The judge also considered that Singh had no previous criminal record and that the collision was not intentional.
The case has prompted debate over whether the sentence fairly reflects the seriousness of the crash. Supporters of a harsher punishment point to the three deaths and the scale of the destruction. Others note that sentencing laws typically distinguish between an intentional killing and a fatal crash caused by reckless or negligent driving.
Regardless of the legal reasoning, three families lost loved ones, four other people were injured, and the consequences of the crash will continue long after Singh completes his sentence.