More than 2.4 million people have signed a Change.org petition calling for leniency for Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Indian national who faces up to 45 years in prison after a fatal crash in Florida earlier this month.
Authorities say Singh, who entered the U.S. illegally in 2018, was driving a tractor-trailer on the Florida Turnpike on Aug. 12 when he allegedly attempted an illegal U-turn.
The maneuver caused a crash that killed three people. Singh fled the scene and was later arrested in California by U.S. Marshals before being extradited back to Florida.
Prosecutors charged Singh with three counts of vehicular homicide, each carrying a possible 15-year sentence under Florida law.
The Petition
The Change.org petition, launched under the name Collective Punjabi Youth, argues that Singh’s actions were the result of a tragic mistake rather than malicious intent.
“This was a tragic accident — not a deliberate act. While accountability matters, the severity of the charges against him does not align with the circumstances of the incident,” the petition reads.
Many signatories identified themselves as Indian nationals or members of the Punjabi diaspora.