'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAv/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAoZga/8QAIBAAAQIFBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIEAAMGEhMRImJz0v/aAAgBAQABPwBxU89m1b5WyM05JKNDt4gwut315ulNAek+o//EABcRAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAA1H/2gAIAQIBAT8AVz2f/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECA//aAAgBAwEBPwBZyf/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A former assistant basketball coach, Clarence Nelson, and his wife, Lisa, were among the victims killed in the fatal Ontario crash on October 21. The crash took place on the 10 Freeway, leading to the death of three people, including the couple.
On October 23, Pomona High School shared a tribute post on its Facebook page about their former assistant basketball coach, Clarence Nelson, and his wife, Lisa Nelson. The couple lost their lives in Tuesday's fatal car crash on the 10 Freeway in Ontario. Footage via ABC7 captured Jashanpreet Singh, an Indian-origin truck driver, slamming into an SUV without using any brakes.
The crash led to a chain reaction, killing three people and injuring four others. Two of the victims were also severely burnt, although it is not confirmed whether these two victims were Nelson and his wife. Singh, a 21-year-old US immigrant since 2022, was reportedly under the influence of drugs during the accident. He was arrested for DUI and vehicular manslaughter and is currently held without bail in San Bernardino County.
At least eight vehicles were reportedly involved in the chain reaction crash, which occurred at around 1:10 PM US local time on October 21. The westbound lanes of the freeway remained closed for several hours following the accident.
Feds confirm Ontario crash truck driver Jashanpreet Singh was an undocumented immigrant in the US
On Thursday (October 23), two days after the fatal Ontario crash, federal authorities confirmed that 21-year-old truck driver Jashanpreet Singh was an undocumented immigrant in the United States at the time of the accident.
The Indian national was under the influence of drugs when he crashed into an SUV, causing the chain reaction in the Ontario crash. He hit two pick-up trucks, two cars, and three semi-trucks. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Jashanpreet Singh first entered the US in 2022 through the southern border.
"(He) was RELEASED into the country under the Biden administration. It is a terrible tragedy three innocent people lost their lives due to the reckless open border policies that allowed an illegal alien to be released into the U.S. and drive an 18-wheeler on America’s highways," the statement said.
Speaking to NBC Los Angeles, the California Department of Motor Vehicles mentioned that Singh held a commercial driving license classification in California at the time of the Ontario crash. The authorities of San Bernardino County filed official charges against the truck driver based on eyewitness information and camera footage, which claimed that Singh drove at high speed into traffic without attempting to brake.
An eyewitness to the Ontario crash, Jason Calmelat, described the crash as a massive explosion and said:
"It didn’t stop. It didn’t swerve. It didn’t make any kind of maneuvers. It just went straight in. The truck rolled and veered to the right into the embankment, and I saw the truck drive jump out because it was on fire."
Officer Rodrigo Jimenez described it as an accident that led to having "car parts everywhere." He added that the crash could have been prevented "if somebody had been paying attention sober."
The Ontario crash took place around two months after two people lost their lives in a similar car crash in Florida, where an Indian Punjabi driver, Harjinder Singh, was involved. He reportedly took an illegal wrong turn on the Turnpike, leading to the crash, which took place on August 12. After this incident, the US stopped issuing visas to truck drivers.
Further updates on the crash are awaited.
