At least three people were killed in the United States after a semi-truck driver made a rogue U-turn on a highway in Florida’s St. Lucie County last week. The accident occurred on August 12, and the truck driver was identified as Indian-origin Harjinder Singh, who, according to the Donald Trump administration, is an illegal immigrant.
US authorities said Singh, while driving a tractor-trailer, made a hard left turn on the Florida Turnpike near Fort Pierce as he attempted to cross the median through an “Official Use Only” pass. The truck blocked all lanes of incoming traffic, due to which a minivan coming in full speed slammed onto its side.
The high-speed impact resulted in the minivan wedging underneath the trailer, killing a 30-year-old Florida City man, a 37-year-old Pompano Beach woman and a 54-year-old Miami man.
Neither Singh nor a passenger inside the truck with him at the time was injured, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Who Is Harjinder Singh
According to a report by the New York Post, Singh, an Indian-origin man, illegally entered the US by crossing the southern border into California in September 2018. He was arrested by the Border Patrol two days after crossing the border and was processed for fast-track deportation by the first Trump administration.
Per @FLHSMV: The truck driver in the video has been arrested for vehicular homicide.
FLHSMV says Harjinder Singh entered the U.S. illegally in 2018 but was able to get a CDL in California.
“At the conclusion of his state charges, he will be deported.” https://t.co/mPBVEoQ7dn pic.twitter.com/grfD5XGIGj
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 17, 2025
However, during the proceeding for expedited removal, he reportedly claimed that he was scared to return to India, following which the US Citizenship and Immigration Services released him on a $5,000 immigration bond in January 2019.
He has been in immigration proceedings ever since. Under US law, immigrants claim “refugee” status if they are unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution” due to race, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, religion, or national origin.
In June 2021, Singh was granted work papers by the Biden administration, following which he was able to secure a Commercial Driver’s License in California, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday.
Singh’s Arrested
US Marshals in California arrested Singh on Saturday in connection with a deadly crash in Florida last Thursday. He is being held on a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and faces three counts of vehicular homicide.
“The actions taken by the Defendant while operating a commercial tractor-trailer are both shocking and criminal, FLHSMV Director Dave Kerner said, according to a story by the New York Post.
“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,” he added.
A video from inside Singh’s truck cab window went viral on social media, showing him visibly unaffected at the moment of the crash, calmly putting his vehicle into park and turning the engine off.
