Update: Jashanpreet Singh pleads not guilty in the Ontario crash case - held without bond. Next court hearing on Nov 4th, 2025.

Jashanpreet Singh, the 21-year-old truck driver accused in connection with the deadly Ontario, California freeway crash, appeared in Rancho Cucamonga court this week and pleaded not guilty to three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and one count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury. Singh remains held without bond and will require a Punjabi interpreter for his next court appearance, scheduled for November 4th, 2025.

Federal transportation officials said Singh was originally issued a restricted, non-domiciled CDL on June 27. When he turned 21 on October 15, the California DMV allegedly upgraded his license without applying the stricter federal standards introduced under an emergency rule. According to the DOT, Singh should have been required to return to the DMV for a new evaluation, at which point he would have been found ineligible to keep the license due to his status as an asylum seeker. The oversight has raised sharp questions about regulatory enforcement and CDL verification practices.