A Florida tow truck driver was arrested after allegedly towing a car with a 4-year-old girl still inside — and authorities say the child fell from the vehicle as it was being taken away.
The incident happened Sunday in Sunrise, Florida, outside the Bistro Creole Restaurant. Sergio Suarez, 34, reportedly hooked up the car while the girl’s father had just stepped inside the eatery.
According to an arrest report shared with Local 10 by the Sunrise Police Department, the father noticed the tow truck in action and shouted at Suarez that his daughter was inside. The report says Suarez ignored him. When the father tapped on the driver’s window, he again received no response.
As the father chased after the truck, the young girl managed to open the rear driver’s side door and fell onto the road, sustaining superficial injuries. A witness told Local 10 they saw the father pulling his child out of traffic to keep her safe.
Suarez initially fled the scene but returned after police contacted his employer. He reportedly dropped off the vehicle before leaving again, but officers arrested him shortly afterward. He now faces charges of child neglect.
The police report states that Suarez’s “failure to inspect the vehicle prior to towing, combined with his decision to continue driving despite being alerted that a child was inside, created a foreseeable and substantial risk of serious bodily harm or death.” It adds, “His actions constituted culpable negligence and demonstrated a reckless disregard for the safety of a minor, directly resulting in injury to the child.”
Suarez’s attorney disputes the charges, saying he checked the vehicle three times before towing and that a partner, acting as a spotter, also inspected it. “He doesn’t know how this came about,” the attorney said in court, according to WSVN.
Suarez has been ordered not to drive until further notice and to avoid any contact with the victim. He was released on a $10,000 bond.
The girl was treated at a hospital, and her father later told Local 10 that she is doing well.
I think his ponytail is too tight, so not able to give the brain ability to properly function.
Us this man a fool that he does not check the car and what happened that the parents did not miss their child
I meant why would the father leave a four year old unattended in a car