A Sikh truck driver is stabbed amid a rise in anti-South Asian rhetoric

Freight trucks travel northbound on Interstate 5 Highway in September 2025, in Tracy, Calif. Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP hide caption

A Punjabi Sikh truck driver in Wyoming said he was followed into a bathroom and stabbed repeatedly in an attack that has stoked fear across the greater South Asian community.

In an interview with NPR, the driver Singh said he was shaken by the violent encounter from earlier this week, which he described as unprovoked. Singh asked to only be identified by his last name due to fear for his safety.

" I don't know why this happened," he said from his hospital room. "I don't know why they attack[ed] me."

Early Sunday morning, on his way to Pennsylvania, Singh said he parked at a rest area in south Wyoming to use the bathroom. He added that he had visited the rest stop many times in the past without any problems.

As he walked inside, Singh said he sensed another man following behind him. Moments later, Singh said the man began to beat him before pulling out a knife and stabbing him multiple times around his body, including his neck. The attacker then fled and Singh stepped outside before collapsing onto the pavement, he recalled.

Singh said his life was saved by a Hispanic family, who just so happened to be at the rest area. He said the family tried to attend to his wounds and seek medical help.

As of Wednesday night, Singh remained in the hospital, with multiple lacerations and injuries to his chest and rib, he added.