A tragic crash on the Florida Turnpike on August 12 reportedly left three dead after a commercial tractor-trailer made an illegal U-turn in an area marked for “official use only,” authorities said.
The collision occurred just south of the St. Lucie County north border in southern Florida when the semi crossed all northbound travel lanes and collided with a minivan.
The victims, identified by TC Palm as a 30-year-old Florida City man, a 37-year-old Pompano Beach woman, and a 54-year-old Miami man, were unable to escape the oncoming vehicle.
The black 2015 Chrysler Town & Country van became wedged under the left side of the trailer, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, Harjinder Singh, 35, was arrested at the scene. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Singh “entered the United States illegally when he crossed the southern border in 2018” and later obtained a commercial driver’s license in California. Fox News confirmed that Singh had “entered the country illegally and obtained a commercial driver’s license in California.”
BREAKING: DHS & ICE confirm to @FoxNews that the illegal alien truck driver who killed 3 in a crash in Florida is an Indian national who initially crossed the California border illegally in September 2018 and was arrested by Border Patrol. Harjinder Singh was processed for… pic.twitter.com/J4E8pZTbBj
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 18, 2025
The crash has reignited scrutiny of California’s driver’s license policies for undocumented immigrants, which were expanded under Democratic leadership. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1766 into law in September 2022, allowing illegal immigrants to obtain state identification even if they do not drive.
The governor’s office said at the time, “Undocumented Californians will be able to obtain a State ID, a critical step for inclusion and meaningful participation in our communities and economy.”
The measure built on AB 60, passed in 2013 under Governor Jerry Brown, known as the Safe and Responsible Driver Act, which first allowed illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
Newsom consistently supported the legislation and took steps to extend its reach with AB 1766, despite concerns about public safety.
Singh’s case highlights ongoing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and state-level policies. Newsom, who has previously criticized President Donald Trump as “unhinged” and taken issue with his nickname for him, “Gavin Newscum,” also filed a lawsuit in June against the Trump administration for deploying the California National Guard to respond to protests over immigration policies. Newsom claimed that the administration did not “believe in the rule of law.”
Authorities emphasized that the crash occurred in an “unauthorized location,” underscoring the dangers posed by untrained or improperly licensed drivers operating large commercial vehicles.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the minivan “was unable to avoid” the truck as it attempted the U-turn in the outside lane of the turnpike.
The deaths of three Floridians in the accident serve as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of policies that allow undocumented immigrants to obtain commercial licenses, particularly when state and federal immigration rules diverge.
Singh remains in custody as investigators continue to examine the circumstances of the fatal collision.
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