Semi driver arrested after walking away from fiery crash that killed 1, ordering lunch for himself

By Steve Large

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    MANTECA, California (KOVR) — A Manteca man is facing a murder charge after police say he drove his semi-truck on a deadly collision course in Parker, Arizona.

Parker police confirm that 28-year-old Karan Singh is from Manteca and that after that fiery crash, Singh walked away from the scene and ordered lunch for himself.

Surveillance video shows the moment of impact: the semi-truck barrelling into and running right over three vehicles stopped at a red light. The victims inside likely never saw what hit them.

The crash left one person dead and several seriously hurt.

“I’ve never seen anything so devastating,” Halie Jackson said.

Jackson shot video of the crash aftermath, showing the semi-truck bursting into flames with thick smoke rising high above the wreckage.

“It was a mess,” Jackson said. “There [were] car parts all over the street. Being around the wreck yesterday I was sick; I was sad. it was really depressing.”

Debbie Fritzen’s family was in one of the cars hit. They were in Arizona on vacation.

“I have a pit in my stomach that I couldn’t fathom that I knew my cousin was in one of those cars,” Fritzen said. “She was in the last car.”

Singh is now facing second-degree murder charges as well as eight counts of aggravated assault. Investigators are waiting for toxicology reports to show whether he was impaired at the time of the crash.

Signage on the cargo of the trailer he was hauling reads “RTL Carrier, Incorporated,” which is a trucking company based in Manteca.

A search of the company’s federal safety records shows it has 36 drivers — and up until this weekend, had 4 reported crashes; two with injuries and none fatal.

Singh made his first court appearance in Arizona on Tuesday. He is being held on $1 million bail.

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