Illegal immigrant truck driver arrested after fatal crash near Lodi, CA
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
An illegal immigrant truck driver was arrested Tuesday for allegedly causing a fatal multi-vehicle crash in California and trying to flee the scene, federal authorities said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Manvir Singh, an undocumented immigrant from India, instantly killed two people near Lodi.
Singh, who is facing multiple charges, reportedly entered the United States illegally through Arizona in 2023 and was later released by the Biden administration, federal officials told Fox News.
His arrest also marks the fourth illegal immigrant truck driver with the surname “Singh” to be charged in a fatal crash since last year, DHS said, underscoring what officials describe as a growing trend involving illegal immigrant commercial drivers from India.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CAUGHT AT CALIFORNIA CHECKPOINT DRIVING A COMMERCIAL TRUCK WITH A VALID NEW YORK CDL
On May 19, 2026, two people died in a catastrophic multi-vehicle crash involving a truck near Lodi, California. (Department of Homeland Security)
“Allowing illegal aliens, many of whom do not speak English, to obtain CDLs to operate 18-wheelers and transport hazardous materials on America’s roads is reckless and extremely dangerous to public safety,” officials said.
Around 12:20 p.m., Singh reportedly left the roadway and hit a guardrail, causing a crash involving three other vehicles. based on To the Solicitor at Law, citing the California Highway Patrol.
He then tried to escape the wreckage on foot before San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office officials could catch him, authorities said.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER IN THE FATAL ACCIDENT IN CALIFORNIA WAS RELEASED BY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AFTER CROSSING THE BORDER IN 2022
Manvir Singh was arrested by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office near Lodi, California, on May 19, 2026, following a fatal multi-vehicle crash. (Department of Homeland Security)
Singh faces multiple charges, including vehicular manslaughter by gross negligence, hit-and-run resulting in death or injury, and resisting or obstructing a police officer, DHS said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also filed a detainer request, asking California authorities to detain the suspect into federal custody.
“This criminal illegal alien from India should never have gotten behind the wheel of a truck and should not have been allowed to kill two innocent people in a multi-vehicle crash in California,” Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.
“This is yet another example of why illegal aliens should not drive trucks on American highways. We need to pass the Dalilah Act in Congress, which would prohibit states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.”
The Dalilah Act is proposed as a federal measure that would prohibit states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. It is named after Dalilah Coleman, a teenage girl who suffered life-changing injuries in a crash allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant driver in California in 2024.
Tuesday’s crash was just one of several recent incidents involving illegal immigrant truck drivers accused of fatal crashes, authorities said.
146 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVERS WERE ARRESTED IN INDIANA STUDIES, AS NOEM SAID, ‘YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED’
ICE has requested a detainer from California Governor Gavin Newsom, asking him not to release the undocumented immigrant accused of causing a fatal multi-vehicle crash before he fled the scene. (Tayfun Coşkun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In April, ICE arrested an illegal immigrant truck driver in California who had been issued a CDL. He was accused of murdering a newlywed couple in Oregon on November 24, 2025. He was initially released from a shelter in prison, then arrested by federal agents, authorities said.
In February, another illegal immigrant truck driver in Pennsylvania was charged with killing four people after he crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into a minivan on Feb. 3.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Last December, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that an American was killed by a Chinese citizen and CDL holder who allegedly failed his English proficiency exam after the accident. The driver entered the United States from Mexico in 2023, DHS said.
In August, illegal immigrant Harjinder Singh was arrested in St. Louis, Florida. He was arrested on three counts of vehicular homicide for allegedly trying to make an illegal U-turn at an “Official Use Only” access point in St. Lucie County. The careless maneuver blocked all traffic lanes and caused a crash that killed three people, authorities said.
