Jashanpreet Singh, who was 21 at the time of the October 2025 crash, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty last month ahead of his sentencing

A truck driver who pleaded guilty to causing a fatal eight-vehicle collision on a California freeway last year has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

Jashanpreet Singh, who was 21 at the time of the incident, failed to brake as traffic slowed while driving a semi-truck along the 10 Freeway in the city of Ontario in October 2025, per the Los Angeles Times and NBC4 Los Angeles.

Singh crashed into seven other vehicles — three semi-trucks, two pickup trucks and two cars — killing three people, NBC4 Los Angeles stated. According to an earlier report from the outlet, four people were injured, including Singh himself and a mechanic who was changing a tire on the side of the freeway.

Dashcam video footage showed the Yuba City, Calif. resident’s semi-truck barreling through the vehicles before crashing into another truck, while one of the cars also caught fire, per the Los Angeles Times.

Singh was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison on Tuesday, July 14, the outlet confirmed.

According to a San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office statement released shortly after the incident, Singh was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence.

He was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and DUI causing injury, but the second charge was later dismissed after the substances tested for were not found to be present in his blood, the statement at the time read.

Singh originally pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea during a hearing last month ahead of his sentencing, NBC4 Los Angeles reported, citing the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Singh entered the U.S. from its southern border in 2022 and was in the country without legal status.

Two of the three people killed in the crash were Clarence Nelson, a basketball coach at the nearby Pomona High School, and his wife, Lisa, KTLA reported. The Pomona Red Devils team paid tribute in a Facebook post, sharing prayers for the couple.

Speaking to NBC4 Los Angeles, a witness said that the crash sounded like a big explosion. “It didn’t stop. It didn’t swerve. It didn’t make any kind of maneuvers. It just went straight in,” Jason Calmelat said of Singh’s vehicle.

“It was one of those crashes where there were car parts everywhere,” added officer Rodrigo Jimenez with the California Highway Patrol, per the outlet’s previous report. “We had a hazardous material incident. It was a very large scene.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for additional information, but didn’t immediately hear back.

Source: https://people.com/driver-learns-fate-causing-fatal-eight-vehicle-collision-california-freeway-that-killed-three-people-12019580