Singh faces vehicular homicide charges after Florida Turnpike collision killed three people

‘Horrific situation’: Illegal migrant truck driver with California license arrested after deadly crash

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier reacts after an illegal migrant truck driver licensed in the state of California caused a fatal crash on the Florida Turnpike that left three people dead.

A petition urging Florida officials to show leniency toward Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant truck driver accused of causing a crash that killed three people, has garnered nearly 2.5 million signatures as of Sunday afternoon.

The petition — posted on the website Change.org and addressed to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — calls for both DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to re-examine the case against the 28-year-old. Singh faces three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter in connection with the deadly Aug. 12 crash.

Harjinder Singh, 28, an illegal immigrant, was operating a commercial semi-truck with a trailer on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce when he allegedly attempted a U-turn in an unauthorized area. The trailer jackknifed and collided with a minivan, killing all three of its passengers, according to officials.

A new mugshot provided by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office of Harjinder Singh, who was booked into the St. Lucie County Jail, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.  (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)

Singh was arrested in Stockton, California, on Aug. 16 and later extradited to Florida. Investigators determined that he and his passenger, Harneet Singh, fled to Sacramento the day after the crash, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

On Saturday, a Florida judge denied bond to Singh, ruling that he is an unauthorized alien and a substantial flight risk. St. Lucie County Judge Lauren Sweet also found probable cause for all six charges against Singh and classified them as forcible felonies under Florida law.

ICE ARRESTS BROTHER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER IN DEADLY FLORIDA TURNPIKE WRECK

Harjinder Singh is escorted onto an airplane by Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and law enforcement on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Stockton, Calif.  (Benjamin Fanjoy/AP Photo)

“This was a tragic accident — not a deliberate act,” the petition states. “While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident.”

If convicted, the petition requests that Singh receive a “proportionate and reasonable” sentence, that parole eligibility be granted after part of his sentence is served and that alternatives to incarceration — like counseling or community service — be considered.

DESANTIS: STATE LINE WON’T PROTECT CRIMINAL ILLEGALS; SENDS ‘CHUCK NORRIS’ DEPUTY TO NAB FUGITIVE TRUCKER

Harjinder Singh, 28, was arrested after allegedly making an unauthorized U-turn in Florida last week that resulted in a crash that left three people dead, officials said. (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)

The petition is signed by “Collective Punjabi youth.”

Authorities said Singh crossed into the U.S. illegally in 2018 via the southern border, later obtaining a commercial driver’s license in California. He attempted to obtain work authorization, but it was rejected by the first Trump administration on Sept. 14, 2020, according to Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this week that the U.S. is halting work visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, a move praised by conservatives in the wake of the deadly crash.

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Governor Ron DeSantis did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.

Sophia Compton is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.