Indian man charged with criminally negligent homicide after Oregon crash killed two
PTC News Desk: Nearly three years after illegally crossing the US border near Lukeville, Arizona, 32-year-old Rajinder Kumar is now facing homicide charges in Oregon over a crash that resulted in the deaths of two young Americans.
The case has brought renewed attention to incidents involving Indian nationals who entered the US without documentation. Kumar has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment after the semi-truck he was driving crashed into a car on November 24. The victims, 25-year-old William Micah Carter and 24-year-old Jennifer Lynn Lower, died at the scene. Oregon State Police said officers responded to the late-night two-vehicle collision in Deschutes County.
According to preliminary findings, Kumar’s freightliner truck and trailer had jackknifed and was blocking both lanes of the road when Carter’s vehicle hit the trailer at full highway speed.
The Oregon State Police noted that the highway remained closed for nearly seven hours due to the investigation, adding that darkness and a lack of emergency warning signals likely played a major role in the crash.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described Kumar as a “criminal illegal” from India, adding, “Kumar was released into ‘our country under the Biden administration and issued a commercial driver's license by Gavin Newsom's Department of Motor Vehicles. How many more senseless tragedies must take place before sanctuary politicians stop allowing illegal aliens to dangerously operate semi-trucks on America's roads.’”
Kumar was not injured, was taken into custody, and is being held at the Deschutes County Jail.
The US Department of Homeland Security said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed an arrest detainer on him.
- With inputs from agencies
