Nearly 2.5M people sign petition supporting illegal immigrant truck driver charged in fatal crash
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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. Fox News
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A petition urging Florida officials to show leniency toward Harjinder Singh, an undocumented truck driver accused of causing a crash that killed three people, has attracted nearly 2.5 million signatures as of Sunday afternoon.
The petition, hosted on Change.org and addressed to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, asks both DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to review the case against Singh, 28. He faces three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter in connection with the deadly Aug. 12 crash.
According to authorities, Singh was driving 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 occupants.
Singh was arrested on Aug. 16 in Stockton, California, and later extradited to Florida. Investigators said he and a passenger, Harneet Singh, fled to Sacramento the day after the crash, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
On Saturday, a Florida judge denied Singh bond, citing his status as an unauthorized immigrant and a substantial flight risk. St. Lucie County Judge Lauren Sweet also found probable cause for all six charges and classified them as forcible felonies under state law.
The petition argues, “This was a tragic accident — not a deliberate act. While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident.” It calls for a “proportionate and reasonable” sentence, parole eligibility after part of the sentence is served, and alternatives to incarceration such as counseling or community service. The petition is organized by a group calling itself “Collective Punjabi Youth.”
Authorities report that Singh crossed into the U.S. illegally in 2018 through the southern border. He later obtained a commercial driver’s license in California and applied for work authorization, which was rejected by the Trump administration on Sept. 14, 2020, according to Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs.
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