Is Jashanpreet Singh a US citizen? What to know about driver suspected of DUI in Ontario truck crash

Authorities said they suspect Jashanpreet Singh of being under the influence during the deadly crash in Ontario, California on Tuesday.

Authorities have identified Jashanpreet Singh as the driver involved in the deadly truck crash in Ontario, California, on Tuesday. He was under the influence when he caused the accident that killed three and injured at least four others, as per multiple reports.

Jashanpreet Singh reportedly crashed his truck into slow-moving vehicles stuck in traffic on the westbound 10 Freeway.(X/@WhitePapersPol)

Singh reportedly crashed his truck into slow-moving vehicles stuck in traffic on the westbound 10 Freeway. He was reportedly on drugs and now faces charges for vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs.

While Singh has been booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, many are wondering whether he is a US citizen.

Is Jashanpreet Singh a US citizen?

Several people questioned where Singh was from, given that the California crash comes months after the accident in Florida, where an Indian trucker – Harjinder Singh – was responsible.

“We want to know: Is Jashanpreet Singh a US citizen or Permanent Legal Resident? Is he proficient in English? Does he have a California resident CDL? Does he have a California non-domicile CDL, Does he have no CDL.,” a page wrote on X. Another asked if Singh was a 'legal US citizen." Yet another person questioned, “was Jashanpreet Singh a legal citizen? When did he get his license?”

From what authorities have told KTLA, Jashanpreet Singh is a 21-year-old from Yuba City in California. They have not mentioned anything about his citizenship. Grok also fact-checked users on X about Singh's citizenship.

“No public records or reports confirm Jashanpreet Singh's citizenship status. News outlets identify him as a 21-year-old from Yuba City, California, but his immigration details remain undisclosed amid the ongoing investigation. Until authorities release more information, assumptions based on his name alone aren't reliable,” it replied to a person asking if Singh is an American citizen.

Elsewhere, Grok replied to another person asking about Singh's citizenship: “No, there's no public evidence Jashanpreet Singh is a US citizen. His distinctly Punjabi Sikh name and residence in Yuba City—a hub for Indian immigrants in California's trucking industry—indicate he's likely from India on a visa or similar status. Official records on naturalization or birth aren't available yet amid the ongoing investigation.”

Now, Bill Melugin of Fox News has claimed that Singh was an ‘Indian illegal alien’ who was caught and released at the California border by the Joe Biden administration in 2022. “Per multiple ICE sources, Jashanpreet Singh, the semi-truck driver suspected of killing three people in a DUI crash on the 10 freeway in Ontario, CA yesterday, is an Indian illegal alien who was caught & released at the CA border by the Biden admin in March 2022. DHS photo of him attached via federal sources,” he wrote.

“I’m told ICE is placing a detainer request on Singh with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, where he is in custody on suspicion of DUI causing great bodily injury and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He has not been formally charged yet,” he added.

Melugin further continued, “Police say Singh was speeding and under the influence, never hitting his breaks, when he crashed into slow moving traffic on the freeway, causing a devastating and deadly chain reaction crash that killed 3 people. The victims have not been identified yet.”