(NewsNation) — The truck driver has been identified in an eight-car pileup in California that left three people dead and at least four injured.
Authorities said a semitrailer driven by Jashanpreet Singh crashed into several vehicles traveling at low speeds on the Interstate 10 in Ontario in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Authorities said two of the victims were in a car that was so badly damaged they have not been able to determine the make or model and that the third victim was in a pickup truck. The names of the victims were not released as of Thursday morning.
An area high school revealed that two of the victims were a well-known basketball coach and his wife.
Dashcam video from the semitrailer shows it slamming into the back of an SUV and then hitting several other cars.
The California Highway Patrol said Singh did not hit the brakes before the crash and alleged he was under the influence of drugs. Authorities are investigating the collision for any other possible causes, including mechanical failure.
Singh, 21, is an Indian national and a resident of Yuba City, California.
The Department of Homeland Security said Singh entered the country illegally through the southern border in 2022 and was released through a Biden administration program that paroled immigrants waiting for hearings into the country instead of housing them in detention.
Singh obtained his license in California, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
He was arrested on charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a detainer for Singh following his arrest.