Body cam video: Illegal alien trucker escaped NM traffic stop, then killed 3
Newly released bodycam footage shows illegal immigrant truck driver Harjinder Singh struggling with English during a July 3 traffic stop in New Mexico — a detail that has become central in the debate over his role in a Florida crash that killed three people.
The video captures Singh being pulled over by a New Mexico State Police trooper for allegedly driving 60 mph in a 45-mph zone. Singh appears remorseful as he accepts the ticket, but the exchange later turns difficult when the officer struggles to understand his broken English.
“What’s that?” the trooper asks, before telling Singh, “I’m sorry, I guess I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Singh responds, “Maybe in this, this my ticket, on my license, how many years?” The officer then explains the citation would likely remain on his record for five to seven years.
Singh’s lack of English proficiency has become a flashpoint since federal regulators revealed he failed a Department of Transportation (DOT) English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment after the fatal crash in Fort Pierce, Florida. He reportedly answered just two of twelve questions correctly and identified only one of four road signs. Critics are now questioning how he was able to operate a commercial truck at all.
The DOT said officers nationwide were required to conduct language checks during roadside inspections as of June 25. Singh, however, was not tested for proficiency during the July 3 stop. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had earlier warned, “A driver who can’t understand English will not drive a commercial vehicle in this country. Period.”
New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler pushed back on suggestions that his agency failed to follow the new guidelines. He said federal officials issued broad rules without a standardized process, leaving state agencies to create their own compliance procedures.
“When State Police sought clarification, the response received was simply, ‘You know when somebody doesn’t speak English,’” Weisler explained. He emphasized that New Mexico developed training and kept federal regulators informed prior to the Florida crash.
Weisler also insisted the July 3 encounter would not have triggered a test: “As the video of the traffic stop demonstrates, there were no communication issues between Mr. Singh and the officer. Therefore, there would have been no reason to initiate an ELP assessment.”
Singh, 28, was arrested after allegedly making an illegal U-turn in Florida that caused a multi-vehicle collision and three deaths. Authorities say he entered the U.S. illegally in 2018, and his licensing history is now under investigation.
According to the DOT, Singh obtained a full-term commercial driver’s license in Washington in 2023, despite laws prohibiting illegal immigrants from doing so. He was later issued a limited-term, non-domiciled CDL in California in 2024, raising further questions about whether federal regulations were properly followed.
Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and extradited to Florida to face prosecution.
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