PLEASANT TOWNSHIP, OHIO — An illegal alien semi-truck driver with a Gavin Newsom California commercial license is accused of making a disastrous passing maneuver that sent his massive rig directly into an innocent American woman’s car, killing her in a head-on collision.
Manjit Singh of Fresno, California, was arrested and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide following the September 2, 2026, crash in Brown County, according to court records.
The crash happened at approximately 9 p.m. near the intersection of U.S. Highway 68 and Hamer Road in Pleasant Township.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said its preliminary investigation shows Singh was driving a northbound 2019 Volvo tractor-trailer when he moved into the opposing lane to pass another northbound vehicle.
As Singh attempted the pass, his semi slammed head-on into a southbound 2012 Chevrolet Cruze driven by 50-year-old Brenda Watson of West Union.
Watson died at the scene.
A witness reportedly told investigators that Singh was speeding and had “ample time and space” to move his semi back into the northbound lane before striking Watson’s car.
Court records accuse Singh of causing the deadly crash while attempting to pass the other vehicle.
Singh was taken into custody and booked into the Brown County Jail. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer with the jail the day after his arrest, asking local officials to notify ICE before releasing him.
California CDL and immigration history
The Department of Homeland Security identified Singh as an illegal alien from India who entered the United States through Arizona in October 2023.
DHS said Singh was encountered by the U.S. Border Patrol but was released into the country during the Biden administration.
Singh applied for federal work authorization in July 2024, and the application was approved the following month, according to DHS.
He later obtained a commercial driver’s license from the state of California, allowing him to operate tractor-trailers on American highways.
“This illegal alien from India has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide after allegedly causing a semi-truck crash that killed 50-year-old Brenda Watson in Ohio,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.
Mullin said Singh had no business being in the country or behind the wheel of a semi and blamed Biden-era border policies and California’s licensing practices for allowing him to become a commercial truck driver.
ICE lodged the detainer so Singh could be transferred to federal immigration custody if Ohio authorities release him from the criminal case.
Fatal crash follows warnings about dangerous truckers
The Ohio tragedy comes as federal officials intensify their efforts to remove unqualified and dangerous commercial drivers from American highways.
NorthIowaToday.com recently reported that the Trump administration targeted 270 commercial driving schools suspected of providing fraudulent or dangerously inadequate truck-driver training.
That action followed a nationwide enforcement campaign in which federal investigators pulled more than 800 dangerous commercial drivers and vehicles off American roads.
Federal officials have also pushed legislation intended to stop states from issuing commercial licenses to people who are not legally qualified to remain or work in the United States. The Trump administration has said the proposed law would protect American motorists from dangerous and improperly licensed illegal alien truckers.
The Brown County collision is not the first fatal crash involving an illegal alien trucker who received a commercial license in California.
In May, NorthIowaToday.com reported that another illegal alien truck driver licensed in California was accused of causing an Oregon crash that killed a newlywed couple.
Federal officials have also cited a 2025 Florida crash in which an illegal alien truck driver allegedly attempted an unlawful U-turn and killed three people. That driver had also received a California commercial license.
Brenda Watson’s death adds another name to the growing list of American motorists killed in crashes allegedly caused by commercial drivers whom federal officials say should never have been operating massive trucks on the nation’s highways.
Singh remains accused of aggravated vehicular homicide. The charge is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.