California Superior Court Judge Shannon Faherty has sentenced Indian Illegal immigrant Jashanpreet Singh to four years and eight months in prison for a 2025 crash that killed three people on Interstate 10 in Ontario. The sentence has sparked widespread debate online criticizing Faherty for her lenient judgment in the case.
Singh, 21, pleaded guilty last week to three counts of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence after prosecutors said he crashed a semi-truck into stopped traffic on Interstate 10 in October 2025. The collision involved seven vehicles and killed three people.
The US Department of Transportation alleged that California improperly upgraded Singh’s commercial driver’s license after a federal rule change. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized the state and argued the licensing decision contributed to the tragedy.
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Who is Judge Shannon Faherty?
According to Ballotpedia and official California court records, Shannon Faherty has served as a judge on the San Bernardino County Superior Court since April 2020.
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her to fill a newly created judicial position. She later retained her seat after running unopposed in the 2022 election. Her current term is scheduled to end in January 2029.
Faherty was a prosecutor in the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office prior to being appointed to the bench. Before being promoted to the Superior Court, she dealt with criminal cases. According to the Governor of California website, Faherty graduated from Southwestern Law School with a Juris Doctor.
In California plea cases, judges typically follow the agreed sentence after reviewing the probation report, victim impact statements (families spoke), acceptance of responsibility via the plea, and the statutory range for gross negligence manslaughter.
Faherty sentenced Singh to 4 years and 8 months on July 14 for the accident that killed three people. Users online have described the sentencing as “a slap on the wrist.”
As an undocumented immigrant, Singh also faces deportation after serving time.
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What happened at Interstate 10?
Authorities said the fatal crash occurred after traffic slowed on westbound Interstate 10 near Ontario. Witnesses told NBC Los Angeles they heard what sounded like an explosion as Singh’s semi-truck continued into stopped vehicles without braking or swerving. The impact triggered a chain-reaction crash involving multiple vehicles.
“The truck rolled and veered to the right into the embankment, and I saw the truck driver jump out because it was on fire,” a witness told the outlet.
CHP Officer Rodrigo Jimenez described the crash and said, “It was one of those crashes where there were car parts everywhere. We had a hazardous material incident. It was a very large scene.”
An elderly couple and a Upland resident perished in the fatal collision, which the US Department of Transportation blamed on the administration of California Governor Gavin Newsom.
According to an agency report, Singh’s driver’s license was illegally upgraded by the state in reaction to a federal statute that prohibited illegal immigrants from obtaining commercial licenses just weeks before the collision.
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.”
