Indian trucker with CDL from California Charged with killing West Union mother in head-on collision
An illegal immigrant trucker who obtained his commercial driver’s license in the sanctuary state of California remains behind bars, charged with causing a deadly collision that killed a 50-year-old mother of two.
The semi-truck driver, 39-year-old Manjit Singh, was arrested and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide following the head-on crash Sept. 2 in Brown County. He is also being held on an immigration detainer.
Investigators said Singh attempted to pass another vehicle and collided head-on with a car driven by 50-year-old Brenda Watson of West Union. The mother of two died at the scene.
Singh gave a Fresno, California, address, according to WXIX FOX 19. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said he is from India and entered the country illegally.
The suspect was released into the country by the Biden administration and obtained a commercial driver’s license from the state of California, DHS shared in a news release.
“ICE has lodged a detainer asking officials in Ohio to commit to not releasing this killer back onto our streets, so that ICE can remove him from our country,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “My thoughts and prayers are with Brenda Watson’s family.”
Despite tougher rules and regulations for truck drivers and trucking schools, fatal crashes involving illegal immigrant truck drivers continue on America’s highways.
After the Labor Day holiday, DHS announced that ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations launched an official tipline for reporting fraud involving CDLs or illegal truck drivers. The tipline is 866-347-2423.
“Too many American lives have been lost or permanently changed because illegal aliens who have no business being on our roads have been granted CDLs,” Mullin said. “You can help save American lives and make our roads safer by dialing ICE’s new CDL fraud tipline today.”
The head-on crash in Brown County occurred on U.S. Route 68, near Pleasant Township in rural southern Ohio about 50 miles east of Cincinnati, around 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, WLWT 5 News reported.
A preliminary investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol determined that Singh’s 2019 Volvo tractor-trailer was passing a northbound vehicle when it hit a southbound 2012 Chevrolet Cruze head-on.
According to Watson’s obituary, “Brenda’s greatest joy in life was her family. Her children and loved ones meant everything to her, and she cherished the time she was able to spend with them.”
She was a faithful member of Brier Ridge Church, where she attended every Sunday, and she enjoyed going to concerts. Her funeral was set for Saturday, Sept. 12, in Manchester.
A witness told police she saw the semi-truck traveling at an “excessive speed” and that the driver had “ample time and space to merge back into the northbound lane,” per court documents.
LeAnn Shepherd was driving the vehicle being passed and spoke to WLWT. She saw the headlights and knew the collision was going to happen “before it happened.”
“Her car literally went up, came down. There was smoke. It was bad,” Shepherd said. “It was just the most horrifying thing you can see.”
Singh crossed the border through Arizona in October 2023 and was encountered by the U.S. Border Patrol but released, DHS said. In July 2024, he applied for work authorization, which the Biden Administration granted in August 2024.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has implemented new rules on who can obtain a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license, shut down 270 trucking schools, and sanctioned states that issue licenses without proper documentation and testing.
DHS has partnered with the DOT to investigate fraud in the trucking industry and conduct safety inspections and roadway enforcement nationwide. Ohio officials have also moved to align with updated federal standards.
Across the country, unqualified drivers continue to haul commercial loads, leading to devastating impacts for American citizens, including death and permanent disabilities.
The CDL crackdown began in 2025 following a crash in Florida. Harjinder Singh, from India, made an illegal U-turn on a Florida highway in his tractor-trailer, leading to a fiery wreck that killed three people in St. Lucie County, Florida. California granted him a CDL.
California resident and former truck driver Marcus Coleman recently testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee as a parent advocate after a 2024 tractor-trailer crash left his 5-year-old daughter, Dalilah, permanently disabled. The illegal immigrant truck driver caused a multi-car crash in California, where he also obtained a CDL.
Michael Bon, from Haiti, was driving a semi-truck when he hit and killed a Pennsylvania State Trooper in July 2026. Massachusetts had granted him a CDL.
Bekzhan Beishekeev, from Kyrgyzstan, swerved into oncoming traffic and caused a head-on collision that killed four people in Indiana in February 2026. Pennsylvania had granted him a CDL. ICE arrested him in February 2026.
In January, ICE lodged detainers for Gunpreet Singh and Jasveer Singh, from India, after they were arrested for smuggling more than 300 pounds of cocaine in a semi-truck in Putnam County, Indiana. Governor Newsom’s DMV had given both men CDLs.
In November 2025, Rajinder Kumar, from India, jackknifed his trailer and caused a crash that killed a newlywed couple in Oregon. California had granted him a CDL. ICE arrested him in April 2026.
