The tragic Aug. 12 crash on Florida’s Turnpike that claimed the lives of three people is now at the center of a growing political, legal, and cultural flashpoint. At the heart of it all is Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant from India, whose alleged reckless U-turn in a commercial semi-truck ended three lives and ignited a debate that now reaches far beyond the courtroom.
Singh, who fled the scene and was arrested four days later in California, faces six felony charges: three counts of vehicular homicide and three of manslaughter. These are serious accusations, underpinned by a sobering sequence of events—an unauthorized U-turn, a jackknifed trailer, and a minivan obliterated on impact.
But now, in a stunning turn, nearly 2.5 million people have signed a petition calling for leniency in his case.
NEW: The petition to 'free' the illegal immigrant who made an illegal U-Turn, taking the lives of three Americans, nears 2.5 million signatures.
One supporter suggested that the crash was the fault of the victims, and authorities should check the car's "black box."
Others say… pic.twitter.com/2PwKaJfE1z
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 24, 2025
Posted on Change.org and addressed to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the petition argues that the crash, while tragic, was not intentional and should not be treated with such legal severity. The plea comes from a group identified as "Collective Punjabi youth," who ask for compassion, suggesting alternatives to incarceration—counseling, community service, parole eligibility—as appropriate paths forward.
The petition reads like a moral appeal: “This was a tragic accident — not a deliberate act.” But legal systems don’t adjudicate tragedy based on intention alone. They weigh negligence, recklessness, and the irreversible consequences of actions. And here, three people are dead. Singh’s flight from Florida the next day, accompanied by a passenger, and his arrest in California days later, raise serious questions about accountability and the potential for future risk.
Florida Judge Lauren Sweet clearly saw the danger. She denied bond, declared Singh a flight risk, and cited probable cause for all charges under Florida’s definition of “forcible felonies.”
NEW: Over 1.65M people have signed a petition to free the illegal immigrant truck driver who made an illegal U-Turn, taking the lives of 3 Americans.
The petition argues that Harjinder Singh should be sentenced to counseling or community service.
Some supporters are leaving… pic.twitter.com/45I0nUFgfv
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 23, 2025
The case also underscores a broader issue: Singh was in the country illegally, having crossed the southern border in 2018. Though he later obtained a commercial driver’s license in California, his request for work authorization was denied under the Trump administration. The optics are damning: an illegal immigrant with rejected work status, operating a commercial vehicle, involved in a fatal accident, and fleeing the jurisdiction afterward.
Public reaction has been swift and polarizing. Senator Marco Rubio responded by announcing a suspension of work visas for foreign commercial truck drivers—a policy move aligned with national security and immigration enforcement concerns.
Yet for all the legal implications, what resonates most are the faces of the victims—three lives lost in a moment of recklessness. That pain, compounded by the sense that existing systems failed at multiple levels, has fueled deep public skepticism.