Florida Attorney General Subpoenas Employer of Truck Driver Charged in Fatal Turnpike Crash

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that his office will issue both civil and criminal subpoenas to the trucking company that employed Harjinder Singh, the driver accused in a crash on the Florida Turnpike that killed three people.

Singh was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide after an Aug. 12 crash in Fort Pierce in which he is accused of attempting an unauthorized U-turn while driving a tractor-trailer. Officials said the maneuver caused the trailer to jackknife and collide with a minivan, killing all three people inside the smaller vehicle. Singh was arrested in Stockton, California, and extradited to Florida to face the charges.

Uthmeier said the subpoenas seek records from Singh’s employer as part of a broader inquiry into how commercial driver’s licenses were obtained and whether any laws were violated in the hiring or credentialing process. The attorney general also announced a separate probe of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that he said issue trucking licenses to people who are not legally present in the United States.

Authorities allege Singh crossed the U.S. border illegally and later obtained a commercial driver’s license in California. Public records and officials have said Singh was stopped and cited for speeding on July 3 in New Mexico; bodycam images from that stop have circulated in media coverage. He was taken into custody in Stockton following the Florida crash investigation and was subsequently transferred to Florida authorities.

The subpoenas are civil and criminal in nature, indicating prosecutors are exploring potential violations beyond the charges tied directly to the crash. Uthmeier’s announcement did not specify which documents or records the office would seek from the trucking company or whether any company officials would face charges. The attorney general’s office has said the investigation will examine the licensing and employment processes that allowed Singh to operate commercially.

Florida law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the crash scene and review evidence, including vehicle data, witness statements and surveillance footage. Local prosecutors in St. Lucie County will handle the vehicular homicide charges against Singh, who faces up to decades in prison if convicted, depending on sentencing statutes and any enhancements applied in the case.

Singh’s arraignment in Florida has been scheduled, and court records show he remains in custody pending proceedings. Defense counsel and representatives for Singh did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The trucking company named in the subpoenas also had not issued a public statement as of Thursday.

The attorney general’s focus on licensing practices follows broader national scrutiny over commercial driver credentialing and employment verification, particularly after high-profile crashes involving large commercial vehicles. State officials said the probe into sanctuary jurisdictions aims to determine whether local policies affected the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses or the hiring of drivers who the state alleges are not legally present in the country.

Federal immigration authorities have jurisdiction over immigration status and have been involved in parts of the investigation, officials said. The interplay between state criminal charges and federal immigration matters is likely to continue as the case proceeds through the Florida courts.

The Aug. 12 crash has prompted renewed calls from some state lawmakers and public officials for tighter controls on commercial licensing and employer verification processes, though no new legislation has been introduced in direct response to the crash as of Thursday. Investigators said they will release further findings as evidence is gathered and legal processes unfold.