Harjinder Singh, the 28-year-old Indian national accused of causing an accident on the Florida Turnpike that killed three people when he allegedly attempted to make a U-turn in an unauthorized area, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter. If he’s found guilty, Singh, who came to the U.S. illegally in 2018, could face up to 45 years in prison.
But millions are calling for leniency, urging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to commute his sentence if convicted.
In a Change.org petition addressed to the Republican governor and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency, more than 2.5 million signers argue that while the incident was a “tragic accident,” it was “not a deliberate act.”
“While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident,” the petition states.
Petition calling for leniency for the illegal from India, who took the lives of a family of three when he did an illegal U-turn in Florida, is now at well over 2.5M signatures.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) August 25, 2025
Harjinder Singh should’ve never been in the US. Now he needs to get the max sentence allowed by law. pic.twitter.com/oVIdj6GUAa
Singh fled to California after the accident, but US Marshals arrested him and brought him back to Florida. He was denied bond over the weekend.
The incident set off a war of words between the Trump administration and California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office over the fact that Singh was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license in the state as an illegal immigrant.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week that the U.S. is pausing work visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, effective immediately.
"The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” he said.
Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 21, 2025
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.
