Fort Pierce, Florida — On August 28, 2025, members of the Sikh community came together outside the St. Lucie County Jail. They held a prayer vigil to remember the people who died in a tragic car crash earlier this month and to ask for a fair trial for the driver, Harjinder Singh.
Police say the crash happened on August 12, when Singh made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike. His semi-truck blocked the road. A minivan crashed into the trailer. Three people in the minivan died—a 30-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman, and a 54-year-old man. Singh was arrested and is now facing three counts of vehicular homicide.
At the vigil, the group Sikhs For Justice led a special Sikh prayer called Ardas. This prayer was for the victims' families and also for Singh. Human rights attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who spoke at the event, said Singh did not crash the truck on purpose. He said it was a mistake, not a crime. “Harjinder’s case is one of tragic misjudgment and not of an intentional or malicious act,” Pannun said. “To portray him as a malicious killer would be very unfair and wrong.”
Pannun also said that Singh is grieving and feels very sad about what happened. He explained that Singh left India in 2018 because he felt unsafe due to his religion and political views. Singh is part of a growing number of Sikh truck drivers in the United States. Many people at the vigil said they are worried this case could lead to unfair treatment of others in the Sikh community.