Truck Driver Charged with Homicide, Faces Immigration Detainer After Fatal Florida Turnpike Crash

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FORT PIERCE, FL—A tragic and preventable crash on the Florida Turnpike last Tuesday has resulted in the arrest of a truck driver on multiple counts of vehicular homicide. The driver, identified as Harjinder Singh, is also facing a federal immigration detainer, according to authorities.

The incident, which occurred near Fort Pierce, involved a tractor-trailer that was allegedly attempting a U-turn through an “official use only” median pass. This maneuver caused the semi-truck to block all lanes of oncoming traffic, leaving a minivan with no time or room to stop. The minivan collided with the trailer, killing three people inside.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) have stated that two passengers in the minivan died at the scene, while the driver was transported to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. The victims have been identified as a 37-year-old woman, a 54-year-old man, and a 30-year-old man.

Harjinder Singh, who was uninjured in the crash, was arrested and charged with three counts of vehicular homicide. According to Florida law, vehicular homicide is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Investigators revealed that Singh, who holds a commercial driver's license from California, has been in the United States illegally since crossing the border in 2018. Following his arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer, which is a request to a local law enforcement agency to hold an individual in custody for up to 48 hours after they would normally be released, so that ICE can take them into custody.

Dave Kerner, the Executive Director of the FLHSMV, released a statement calling the crash "both shocking and criminal." He confirmed that Singh is being held on both state vehicular homicide charges and immigration violations. "At the conclusion of his state charges, he will be deported," Kerner said.

The case has raised questions about how Singh, an undocumented immigrant, was able to obtain a commercial driver's license. The American Trucking Associations' Chief Operating Officer, Dan Horvath, commented to a news outlet that the initial reports "raise more questions about how and why he was able to obtain a commercial driver's license in the first place—questions that the state of California must answer for."

The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Singh remains in custody as he awaits his trial on the criminal charges.

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