Non-English Speaking Foreign Trucker Accused Of Killing College Soccer Star Gets Released From Jail

Authorities released an Uzbek trucker who couldn’t speak English after he allegedly killed a star college soccer goalie.

The crash occurred on July 5, when Bekhzod Asrarov, 42, rammed his semi-truck into the back of University of Massachusetts Lowell men’s soccer goalie Tobias Christopher Forsythe’s vehicle on Interstate 71 in Madison County, Ohio.

Asrarov is charged with tampering with evidence after he “ripped out his dash cam and hid it in his pocket,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, adding that the trucker “failed his English language proficiency test” and that “state troopers had to use Google Translate to talk to him.”

Local prosecutors said more charges could be coming after the completion of crash reconstruction and toxicology reports.

Last week, Asrarov was released from jail without bond, according to NBC4. He was given an ankle monitor before walking free.

Asrarov’s defense argued that the Uzbek national was in the country legally, maintained residence in Maineville, Ohio, had no criminal record, and maintained a “flawless” driving history, according to NBC4.

The trucker entered the United States legally in 2024 and was granted a green card by the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Daily Wire.

Forsythe played for Ashland University and Shawnee State University, where he started all 17 games during the 2025 season before joining the UMass Lowell team in 2026. The 21-year-old was also an economics major.

“We cannot let truckers like Asrarov, who can’t read our road signs or speak to law enforcement, drive 80,000-pound rigs on America’s highways,” Duffy said on X Tuesday.

“I am praying for Toby’s family and loved ones after this horrible loss. We will never stop fighting to keep these dangerous truck drivers OFF THE ROAD so no other parents have to endure this unimaginable grief,” Duffy added.

The head coach of the UMass Lowell men’s soccer program, Kyle Zenoni, described Forsythe as an incredible student-athlete and an “even better person.”

“He was humble, honest, selfless, and the definition of hard work,” Zenoni said in a previous statement.

“Every single day, he showed up ready to compete, improve, and do whatever was asked of him. He never looked for shortcuts and never expected anything to be given to him — he simply wanted the opportunity to earn it,” Zenoni added.

The Trump administration has pushed to enforce English-language requirements for truckers while threatening to withhold federal funding from states handing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

In one recent incident, a Haitian semi-truck driver allegedly killed a Pennsylvania state trooper in a devastating crash. The Biden administration allowed the foreign trucker into the United States through its signature humanitarian parole program, which allowed migrants to fly directly into the country and bypass the border, according to Fox News.

The Haitian illegal immigrant later received a Massachusetts commercial driver’s license, allowing him to work as a truck driver, the outlet reported.