STOCKTON, Calif. — Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins held a news conference in California regarding the deadly U-turn crash that left three people dead on the Florida Turnpike.

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The accused, semitruck driver Harjinder Singh, was arrested in California, where he fled one day after the wreck occurred in St. Lucie County.

Collins had previously posted to his X account Wednesday afternoon, writing that he was “en route to California ... to ensure this individual is extradited back to Florida.”

Collins’s press conference was broadcasted from California’s Stockton Metropolitan Airport. Here, Collins responded to supposed inquiries he had received, asking why the Lieutenant Governor had made the long journey to California.

“This is not business as usual,” said Collins. “This isn’t politics as usual. I am not your run-of-the-mill Lieutenant Governor. We’re here today—and I don’t want to be here today—because of tragedy. Three lives lost. Three Floridians’ lives ended early.”

According to a report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a minivan crashed into a semitruck, piloted by Singh, on Aug. 12 as Singh attempted an illegal U-turn. The three people in the minivan, a 37-year-old woman from Pompano Beach; a 54-year-old man from Miami; and the driver, a 30-year-old man from Florida City, were killed.

Singh is reported to have illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018, after which he procured a commercial driver’s license in California, a license that Lt. Gov. Collins says he should not have had in the first place.

“When he was pulled off the side of the road, he answered three out of sixteen questions properly. Why was he driving in the first place?” Collins said. “He didn’t have basic English proficiency, he didn’t know the road signs, and yet, he is driving a giant vehicle across our state. And let’s not overstate: three lives ended early because of that. Because of failed border policy.”

Collins criticized California officials for what he considered lackadaisical border policy and a deficiency in proper leadership.

“When you look at what we do back in Florida, we understand that leadership matters,” he said. “You’ve got to be up-front, standing, and being bold, even if it means standing alone, like I am today. Because we believe in doing right thing.”

Collins attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom for his “failed policies,” and a commitment to “what goes out on social media” rather than “taking care of American citizens and the citizens of California.”

“It’s ridiculous,” said Collins. “In Florida, we do just the opposite. It’s not about words, it’s about deeds. And that’s why I’m here today.”

Collins promised that swift justice and “accountability” for the “three lives lost early” will follow Singh’s extradition back to Florida, as well as continued enforcement of immigration policy in the state.

“[I am here] to make sure this guy is brought to justice right back in Florida, to let our folks know we will go to any step necessary to make sure that freedom remains, that justice is served, and the rule of law is held accountable.”

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