LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — A man allegedly in the U.S. illegally and accused of driving a truck at the center of a deadly pile-up in California pleaded not guilty to multiple charges Friday.
Jashanpreet Singh, 21, of Yuba City, California, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Dramatic dashcam video showing the big rig plowing into stopped vehicles on the westbound Interstate 10 shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday is the center of the California Highway Patrol’s investigation.
“The westbound traffic came to either a slow or a stop, and the Freightliner commercial vehicle did not stop, which caused a chain reaction crash,” California Highway Patrol spokesperson Rodrigo Jimenez said. Eight vehicles, including three other big rigs, were involved in the collision, which forced the closure of westbound lanes of the busy interstate for several hours.
The DHS said Thursday that Singh is a “criminal alien” from India. Singh first entered the U.S. in 2022 through the southern border and was “released” under the Biden administration.
That revelation prompted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to restate earlier concerns about who should be able to obtain commercial driver’s licenses. Duffy and President Donald Trump have been pressing the issue and criticizing California ever since a deadly Florida crash in August was caused by an immigrant truck driver the federal government says was in the country illegally.
The Transportation Department significantly restricted when noncitizens can get commercial driver’s licenses last month.
Two of the three people killed in Wednesday’s crash were identified as Clarence Nelson and his wife, Lisa. Clarence Nelson was a former assistant basketball coach at Pomona High who had most recently coached at Rancho Cucamonga High. Pomona High posted a tribute to Nelson on its Facebook page.
The CHP also indicated that four other people injured in the crash sustained injuries ranging from minor to major and were transported to local hospitals.
Singh kept his head down for the duration of his court appearance and showed no emotion.
His next court appearance is set for Nov. 4.
NewsNation local affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles contributed to this report.