The sentencing of Jashanpreet Singh, the truck driver who pleaded guilty in a deadly Southern California freeway crash that killed three people, has ignited a wave of criticism across social media.
Many users called the punishment too lenient. Some others scrutinized California’s immigration and commercial driver’s licensing policies.
A San Bernardino County judge sentenced the 21-year-old to four years and eight months in prison after he pleaded guilty to three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Also read: Who is Judge Shannon Faherty? California jurist under fire over lenient sentence for immigrant trucker who killed 3
The crash details and sentencing
Prosecutors said Singh’s semi-truck slammed into stopped traffic on Interstate 10 in Ontario in October 2025, triggering an eight-vehicle pileup that killed three people and injured four others.
The California Highway Patrol’s investigation found Singh failed to stop before crashing into another vehicle. Prosecutors relied on eyewitness accounts and dashcam footage. The footage showed the truck travelling at a high speed before impact.
Singh was initially arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, but toxicology tests later found no drugs or alcohol in his system. The DUI allegation was subsequently dropped.
Department of Homeland Security has described Singh as an undocumented immigrant from India who entered the United States through the southern border in 2022.
The US Department of Transportation blamed Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration for the crash. The agency alleged California unlawfully upgraded Singh’s driver’s licence despite a federal law, enacted weeks earlier, prohibiting undocumented immigrants from obtaining commercial driver’s licences.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “It would have never happened if Gavin Newsom had followed our new rules. California broke the law and now three people are dead and two are hospitalized. These people deserve justice.”
Also read: Gavin Newsom net worth: How wealthy is the California governor accusing Donald Trump of targeting him?
Social media erupts after prison term
The prison sentence quickly drew strong reactions on X, where many users argued the punishment did not reflect the loss of three lives.
Political commentator Kevin Dalton wrote that “there is no justice for victims in Gavin Newsom’s lawless California.”
Mario Nawfal, an independent journalist on X, criticized multiple stages of the case. He wrote that Singh “shouldn’t have been in the country,” “shouldn’t have held the commercial licence” and “shouldn’t have been behind 80,000 pounds of steel.” He added that the victims’ families “deserved better at every step.”
One account, ChirpinCricket, questioned why taxpayers should bear incarceration costs and called for Singh’s immediate deportation. “So we get to pay old Jashanpreet’s room, board, healthcare and dental for 4 years, AND THEN WHAT?!?! WHY NOT DEPORT HIS HAIRY A** NOW?”
Another account, President Direct, described the sentence as “outrageous” and demanded denaturalisation and deportation.
The criticism also extended to the sentencing judge. Some conservative commentators highlighted that Judge Shannon Faherty was appointed to the San Bernardino County Superior Court by Newsom. However, HT.com cannot confirm at the moment that Shannon Faherty was the ruling judge in the case.
Faherty was reported by the Daily Bulletin as the Judge in Singh’s case during his October 2025 hearing.
