‘Reports have confirmed our faith in our son’: Family of Indian-origin driver at centre of California truck crash after toxicology report clears him

An updated complaint filed last week indicated that toxicology reports confirmed no substances tested were present in Jashanpreet’s blood.

Speaking to The Indian Express from Gurdaspur, Jashanpreet’s father, Ravinder Singh, said, “Our son is a true Sikh. He has never touched drugs. These allegations were false. We said it from the very first day. Now official reports have confirmed our faith in our son. He is a baptised Sikh. Because of him, my wife and I also took amrit (A practice where a Sikh is baptised into the Khalsa or brotherhood by drinking sugar water that has been consecrated through prayer).

“He is very disciplined and went to the United States three years ago in search of a better future. Now we are devastated. I request everyone not to spread false claims that he was under the influence. I hope he will get justice,” he added.

Jashanpreet was arrested and placed at the West Valley Detention Center in California after the accident.

Last week, confirming the updated findings, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office stated, “Toxicology reports confirmed none of the substances tested were present in the defendant’s blood at the time the test was rendered. However, the case remains a grossly negligent homicide, and we have filed an amended complaint to reflect the new findings.”

The confirmation came weeks after Jashanpreet’s family publicly denied the allegations, insisting that their son did not consume drugs. The case had drawn significant attention both in the US and in Punjab.

The amended complaint means prosecutors will now pursue the case as one involving gross negligence rather than drug impairment. Legal proceedings are expected to continue in San Bernardino County in the coming weeks.

Singh, an illegal immigrant, crossed the southern border of the US in 2022 and was released pending an immigration hearing, according to a report in Fox News last month.

This is the second such accident since August in which an Indian-origin truck driver has been accused of causing a deadly crash in the US.

On August 12, Harjinder Singh, 28, allegedly made an illegal U-turn in his tractor-trailer in Florida, causing a crash which killed three people. He faces three counts of vehicular homicide.

Following that accident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a pause to all issuances of commercial truck driver work visas.